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TRUMP DAY: Fitting day, 5 inches of snow, bitter cold out, and I just can't wait to get outside and plow...Looks like KC vs the Bills, that shoud be a good game...

No Ham License? Listen Anyway in Your Browser

Full disclosure: ham radio isn’t for everyone, and there are many different facets to it. What appeals to one person might bore another to death. One area of ham radio that has changed a lot in the last few years is more or less local and typically mobile operation on VHF or UHF. Not long ago, hams used HTs (walky-talkies or handi-talkies) or mobile radios via repeaters to talk to each other and — the golden prize back then — make phone calls from their cars. Cell phones have made that much less interesting, but there is still an active community of operators talking on repeaters. However, the traffic has gone digital, the Internet is involved, and people with inexpensive, low-powered radios can talk to each other across the globe. This is nothing new, of course. However, having digital services means that operators with special interests can congregate in what amounts to radio chat rooms organized by region or topic.

There’s a long history of people listening to ham radio conversations with shortwave radios, SDRs, and scanners. But with so much activity now carried on the Internet, you can listen in using nothing more than your web browser or a phone app. I’ll show you how. If you get interested enough, it is easy enough to get your license. You don’t need any Morse code anymore, and a simple Technician class license in the United States is all you need to get going.

A Quick DMR Primer

There are several digital ham networks around and like real networks, you can have different physical transport layers and then build on top of that. For the purposes of this post, I’m going to focus on DMR (digital mobile radio) on the Brandmeister network which is very large and popular ham network. You won’t need a license nor will you need to sign up for anything as long as you are content to just listen.

Here’s how it works: Brandmeister operates a large number of servers worldwide that communicate with each other and provide calling services, including group calls. So, if we set up a Hackaday talk group (fictitious, by the way) on group 1337, interested people could connect to that talk group and have a conversation.

Since we are just going to listen, I’m going to skip some of the details, but the trick is how people get to talk to these networks. In general, there are three ways. The classic way is to use a digital radio to talk to a repeater that is connected to the network. The repeater may have one or more talk groups on all the time, or you might request access to one.

However, another way to connect your radio to a “hotspot” connected to the Internet. That is, more or less, a special form of repeater that is very low power, and you have complete control over it compared to a repeater on some faraway hill. However, if you don’t mind operating using just a computer, you don’t need a radio at all. You simply talk directly to the nearest server, and you are on the network. Some of your audio will go to other computers, and it may go over the airwaves via someone else’s hotspot or repeater.

The Brandmeister website has a lot of info and you don’t need to be logged in to see it. Head over to their site and you’ll see a lot of info including a network map and statistics about repeaters and hotspots. You can get an idea of who has been talking lately by clicking Last Heard link. While this is interesting, it isn’t as interesting as you’d think, because you really want to focus on talk groups, not individual users.

To see a list of all the talk groups on the system, you can click Information and then Talkgroups. You can filter the list and you can also download the dataset in different formats if you want to browse it in a different format.

There are three buttons on each row of the database. The LH button shows you the last heard stations for that group. The Wiki button takes you to a Wiki page that, for some groups, has more information about it. But the really interesting button is the one marked Hoseline. You can also open the Hoseline directly which is what I usually do.

What’s the Hoseline? It shows activity across the network as a bunch of boxes indicating recently active talk groups. Boxes with red lines around them have people actively talking on them. The others have been recently active. It is visually interesting, yes, but that’s not the big selling point.

If you click on a box, you will hear the activity on that talk group. That’s all there is to it.

Overwhelming

There are a lot of talk groups. You can filter at the top left part of the page where it says “Everything.” You’ll have to drop the list down and unselect Everything. Then, you can select any countries or areas you want to follow. If you are brave, you can click RegEx mode and enter regular expressions to match talk group numbers (e.g. ^310.*).

The “Player” button at the top right gives you more control. You can add multiple groups from a list, see information about who is talking, and stop or start the audio.

If you prefer to do your listening mobile, you can also get the hoseline on your Android device. Just install the app, and you’ll find it works the same way.

Finding Something Interesting

Lord Nelson once said, “The greatest difficulty in war is not to win the battle, but to find the enemy.” That’s accurate here, too. Finding an interesting conversation out of all those talk groups is somewhat a needle in a haystack. A quick look around at the talk group lists might help.

The 91 and 93 groups stay busy but generally with short exchanges since they cover a wide area. The USA bridge at 3100 sometimes has traffic, too.

If you look at the group’s listing on the Web, you can click the group number and see what stations are connected to it. Keep in mind, some of these may be repeaters or gateways that could have no one on the other side, or could have dozens of people on the other side. But it can give you an idea if the talkgroup has any users at all.

You can also search the Internet for DMR nets and repeaters. Sometimes, it is interesting to listen to local repeaters. Sometimes, it is fun to listen to repeaters in other places. Want to find out what’s going on at your next vacation spot? Practice your French?

You can find many DMR repeaters using the RepeaterBook search page. There are also man lists of DMR nets.

Next Steps

There are many other similar networks, but they may not have a way to listen that doesn’t require some software, registration, or licenses. There’s plenty on Brandmeister to keep you busy. If you worry about people listening in, that’s no different than regular radio has been since the beginning.

You can always get your ham license and join in. Even without a radio, there are ways to talk on the network. [Dan Maloney] has advice for getting your “ticket.” It is easier than you think, and you can do a lot more with a license, including talking through satellites, sending TV signals over the air, and bouncing signals of meteors or the moon. If you want to listen to more traditional ham radio in your browser, try a Web-based SDR.

When cell towers and internet fail, ham radio operators can still talk. How to get involved

When Helene swept across the Southeast on Sept. 27, including Western North Carolina, cell phones and internet-based communication became unusable.

People still needed a way to talk — to check on friends and family or receive updates on the storm’s aftermath — especially as roads and bridges were washed away, isolating communities.

But there’s a way to communicate without cell signals or internet, and about 750,000 people across the country know how to use it: amateur radio.

Also known as ham radio, this old-school method of technology allows people separated by large distances to stay in touch.

“People might think that cell phones have made amateur radio obsolete,” said Chuck Till, the vice president of the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society. “As you can see, that’s far from the truth.”

RARS, which has more than 450 members, is a nonprofit organization and one of many radio clubs across the country. While the club offers many services, helping the public during times of emergency is among its goals.

“It’s a tireless activity, and these hams are so dedicated to it,” said Fin Gold, the president of RARS. “And people don’t realize that they’re out there, and they’re there to help.”

How hams help during disasters

Across North Carolina, amateur radio operators have helped with search and rescue efforts and condition reports, Gold said.

Many of the repeaters, which are automated relay stations that have broad coverage, were offline because of Helene. But one repeater on Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in North Carolina, was still operational, and the hams on the mountain were able to help check on people and pass along radio messages, Gold said.

There’s a program called AUXCOMM, developed by the Department of Homeland Security, in which certain hams work with government agencies including North Carolina Emergency Management, Till said. Other hams may assist with health and welfare messaging.

“The more people that join us, the more we can help,” Gold said.

WEEKEND EDITION: ARRL VHF Contest this weekend, I am going over to the club and give the new 2 and 6 meter beam a workout with the Kenwood TS2000 and see how it works on SSB....what to expect for programs at Hamcation in Orlando

Carnarvon’s Decommissioned NASA Satellite Dish Back In Service After 40 Years

Recently the 29.8 meter parabolic antenna at the Australian OTC (overseas telecommunications commission) station came back to life again after nearly forty years spent in decommissioning limbo.

This parabolic dish antenna shares an illustrious history together with the older 12.8 meter Casshorn antenna in that together they assisted with many NASA missions over the decades. These not only include the Apollo 11 Moon landing with the small antenna, but joined by the larger parabolic dish (in 1969) the station performed tracking duty for NASA, ESA  and many other missions. Yet in 1987 the station was decommissioned, with scrapping mostly averted due to the site being designated a heritage site, with a local museum.

Then in 2022 the 29.8 meter parabolic dish antenna was purchased by by ThotX Australia, who together with the rest of ThotX’s world-wide presence will be integrating this latest addition into a satellite tracking system that seems to have the interest of various (military, sigh) clients.

Putting this decommissioned dish back into service wasn’t simply a matter of flipping a few switches. Having sat mostly neglected for decades it requires extensive refurbishing, but this most recent milestone demonstrates that the dish is capable of locking onto a satellites. This opens the way for a top-to-bottom refurbishment, the installation of new equipment and also a lick of paint on the dish itself, a process that will still take many years but beats watching such a historic landmark rust away by many lightyears.

A Weekend of January Contests

 

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

**
REPEATER SYSTEM STAYS ROBUST DURING CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the US state of California where deadly wildfires have been consuming much of the Los Angeles area and beyond, destroying homes and causing electrical and cellular outages. Even as SpaceX temporarily activated the test version of its satellite-to-cellular service to help deliver emergency alerts and texts, hams were relying on the region's robust and resilient PAPA System of repeaters, as we hear from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: As wildfires whipped through the Los Angeles area, the analogue repeaters of California's wide-reaching PAPA System had their nets and routine traffic communications cancelled for a number of days. The repeaters were placed on standby for news and emergency traffic only but by Tuesday, January 14th, all but three returned to net-hosting and normal use. Three repeaters remained off the main network to continue providing emergency coverage in the greater Los Angeles area. The PAPA system's digital repeaters, which utilize DMR, P25 and D-STAR, continued to host normal traffic.

Cecil Casillas, WD6FZA, president of the PAPA System, told Newsline that as of Tuesday 14th, none of the PAPA repeaters had suffered fire-related damages. He said that flames closely threatened repeaters on Mount Wilson and at Saddle Peak, which overlooks Malibu, but the fires stopped short of affecting the buildings, antennas or other equipment. He said the Saddle Peak repeater had been knocked out of service by an unrelated battery failure but that the fires blocked access for anyone to bring up a generator.

Meanwhile, SpaceX gave temporary access to its Starlink satellites to T-Mobile customers, even without its direct-to-cell constellation being fully completed. According to an article in PC Magazine, only T-Mobile customers with supported phones would have access to texting but emergency alerts and evacuation notices could be received by any cellular phone.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(CECIL CASILLAS, WD6FZA; PC MAGAZINE)

**
TEAM OF 6 FROM INDIA TO ACTIVATE 'HOLY GRAIL' IOTA

NEIL/ANCHOR: This week we have word that a rare, largely inaccessible island off the coast of India is about to be activated for only the second time - and the first time in 23 years. Graham Kemp VK4BB has the details.

GRAHAM: Writing in the December 2002 issue of the old 73 Magazine, Sri, VU2SBJ, called Sacrifice Rock - a harsh, unwelcoming island off the coast of Kerala in southern India - "a plain solid rock in the middle of nowhere." Eleven months earlier, this treacherous bit of terrain was activated for the first time by Sri and his DXpedition team, who were challenged by its difficult access and changeable weather. No hams have been there since.

That is, until now: IOTA Number AS-161, as it is also known, is about to become base camp for Team AU2V, six amateurs who are among many to consider it a holy grail. The DXpedition website calls it "a dream come true for chasers."

Sara, VU2RS, told Newsline in an email that planning and preparation have been intense in advance of the hoped-for visit in the second week of February, when the three-month seasonal window for access closes. The team will have two CW operators and four using SSB and digital modes and is still working out logistics for its hours of operation. The team also continues critical fundraising via PayPal to cover what is expected to be $10,000 in expenses, covering generators, radios, antennas and, of course, the boat that will make that challenging trip across the water to the team's destination. If it is not possible to arrive safely by boat, the team will need to use an airplane, which will add to the costs.

See the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org for the team's website and PayPal address.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

[WEBSITE: au2v.vu2rs.com PAYPAL ADDRESS: sarath@lven.in).

(DX-WORLD.NET, SARA, VU2RS)

**
SILENT KEY: TOP DXER, YHOTY SUPPORTER, DENNIS MOTSCHENBACHER, K7BV

NEIL/ANCHOR: The ham radio world has lost a top DXer, a friend and a supporter of Newsline's Young Ham of the Year Award. We hear more about him from Don Wilbanks AE5DW.

DON: We at Amateur Radio Newsline are mourning the passing of Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV. Dennis passed from this world on Thursday, January 9th after a 14-year battle with cancer. He was 76.

Dennis was passionate about amateur radio. He was first licensed at age 13. An avid DXer, he was equally at home on both sides of the pileup. His amateur radio travels took him to 35 countries. He competed in the World Radiosport Team Championships in Slovenia in 2000 and won countless awards for his ham radio accomplishments. He served as a radioman for two years in the US Navy in Vietnam on the USS Canberra. From 1976 to 2002, Dennis worked in the fire suppression industry.

He was editor of the National Contest Journal from 1998 to 2002. After that, he was sales and marketing manager for the ARRL. From 2006 to his retirement in 2019, he was executive vice president of amateur radio sales at Yaesu USA. Dennis was a fixture on stage at the Huntsville Hamfest for the presentation of our Young Ham of the Year award.

Some years ago, Gigaparts did a live online TV presentation at the Huntsville Hamfest and it was my honor as one of the hosts to spend about 20 minutes chatting with Dennis as my guest. You can find that on the Gigaparts Youtube channel, or at the link in the printed edition of this week's newscast. A devoted family man, we send our love to his wife, children and grandchildren. Rest easy, my friend. I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

(https://youtu.be/3SthKRC2bpM?si=gKqDUZFDkj9Sshzd)

**
GET READY FOR WINTER FIELD DAY

NEIL/ANCHOR: Are you ready for Winter Field Day? If you're in the US or Canada, get your plans in order now. Travis Lisk N3ILS tells us more.

TRAVIS: In North America, Winter Field Day will be held, as always, during the last full weekend of January but there are some changes this year. This emergency preparedness test of portable equipment under harsh-weather conditions has been extended past its previous 24-hour period.

Clubs and individual amateurs are being encouraged to register their stations for this event, which has grown since the first Winter Field Day held in 2007. Operators are permitted to use HF, VHF and UHF bands for CW, SSB and digital modes. The operating period is now 30 hours long and will begin at 1600 UTC Saturday, January 25th and conclude at 2159 UTC the following day. Both indoor and outdoor stations are permitted, as are mobile stations whether they be moving or stationary.

For more details about the rules and to register your station, visit the Winter Field Day website at winterfieldday dot org. That’s winterfieldday- one word - dot org. (winterfieldday.org).

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(WINTER FIELD DAY ASSOCIATION)

**
DMR RADIOS OPEN UP THE WORLD TO STUDENTS IN INDIA

NEIL/ANCHOR: Students in government residential schools in rural parts of the Indian state of Karnataka can now reach out and touch the world with the help of Digital Mobile Radio, or DMR. John Williams VK4JJW explains how the radios got there.

JOHN: Twenty new DMR radio base stations are opening up the world to students in rural schools run by the state of Karnataka’s Social Welfare Department. The installation was done by the Indian Institute of Hams at the request of the state. According to news reports in the Hindu and the Bangalore Mirror, science teachers and a pair of eighth-grade students from a number of the schools received online training for their amateur radio licenses and then successfully sat the exam from the Ministry of Communications.

The radios are designed to give the students access to scientists, researchers and others in the amateur radio community who would normally be inaccessible from within their remote rural communities. The radios are available to be operated around the clock. Just as significantly, the radios are available so the schools can serve as emergency communications centres when disaster strikes and the remote regions are likely to be cut off from many services.

The initiative is called Ham Yatra and spans the state, the ham institute’s director, S. Satyapal [pron: Sat-YUH-poll] told local media. He said he hoped the radios would open a window of curiosity for the students about opportunities in the world of science.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(THE HINDU, BANGALORE MIRROR)

**

VOICE OF AMERICA MUSEUM POISED TO REOPEN

NEIL/ANCHOR: The National VOA Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester, Ohio is QRV and is about to reopen. Stephen Kinford N8WB brings us the details.

STEPHEN: Six months of renovations have come to an end at the Voice of America museum, which is reopening its doors to the public at noon on Saturday the 25th of January. The work has created new exhibit space with room for more displays that showcase radio history in the US. The building formerly housed the Voice of America's Bethany relay station.

The museum will be open every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. local time but can also accommodate group tours on any day of the week if arrangements are made in advance.

The West Chester Amateur Radio Association, WC8VOA, has its headquarters in the historic building and has had uninterrupted on-the-air activity even as remodeling took place elsewhere in the interior. As visitors return, hams will be on the air and, as always, ready to welcome them.

This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(VOA MUSEUM)

**

WEST BENGAL HAMS COMBINE PUBLIC SAFETY WITH DXPEDITION

NEIL/ANCHOR: In India, the second largest Hindu gathering - the Gangasagar Mela - is presenting a variety of opportunities for DX and award scheme participation. That's because hams on DXpedition there are also involved in a public-safety mission at this massive religious pilgrimage. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us what's happening.

JIM: Where the Ganges River and the Bay of Bengal run together, the faithful gather every year. Hams from the West Bengal Radio Club VU2WB have been on Sagar Island since the 10th of January, operating AU2WBRC. They are there to help keep people safe as they come to worship and they are helping visitors who get lost in the crowd reunite with their families. The hams have another mission too; making contact with radio operators around the world. Those logging a QSO with any of the operators qualify for any number of award schemes, including Islands on the Air, which identifies Sagar Island as AS-153. The location also qualifies under the Beaches on the Air as number 60572 and World Lighthouses on the Air schemes as lighthouse 2262.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(QRZ.COM, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)

**
ARMY SIGNAL REGIMENT HOSTS SPECIAL EVENT IN NETHERLANDS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Mark your calendars for January 23rd. You might just work someone in the Royal Netherlands Army Signal Regiment during a one-day special event with a very specific purpose: to get Marines in the Netherlands more involved in amateur radio. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has the details.

JEREMY: Special event station PA25MC has a military mission but one focused on education and friendship. On the 23rd of January, the Royal Netherlands Army Signal Regiment, PI4VBD, will be operating from various locations using military radios - some of them historical. There will also be a variety of operators. Some are experienced members of the army, others are soldiers in training. Some may even be civilian personnel. They will be calling CQ on as many HF bands as possible using SSB.

The signal regiment itself is a well-established group that knows well the importance of amateur radio. Last year it marked its 150th anniversary.

For QSL information, see the QRZ.com page for PA25MC.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(AMATEUR NEWS DAILY, QRZ.COM)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for the callsign 5N9DTG being used by members of the Rebel DX Group. They will be on the air from Nigeria for up to three weeks, starting in the third week of January. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Team IG9/S51V will have several members on the air between the 19th and the 29th of January operating with the prefix IG9 followed by their home callsigns, including S56DX, S51V, S57UN and several others. They will also be participating in the CQ WW 160-Meter CW Contest as a Multi-Single entry using the team callsign IG9/S51V, all from Lampedusa Island, IOTA number AF-019. QSL via the operators’ home calls. See QRZ.com for additional details.

Listen for OF60AP being used by members of the Central Uusimaa [pronounced: ooo SEE' muh] Radio Amateurs Association OH2AP in Finland. The club is marking its 60th anniversary with this year-long special event. See QRZ.com for certificate and QSL details.

Dwight, VE7BV, is using the callsign TG9BBV until the 28th of January from Guatemala. He is operating CW, SSB and some FT8. Look for Dwight on 40 through 6m. See his personal QRZ.com page for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: THE SHOW MUST (AND DID) GO ON

NEIL/ANCHOR: There’s a saying in theatre that even if you encounter hardship, “the show must go on.” Well, the theatre of radio is no exception to that rule. In our final story this week, we learn how an important amateur radio program weathered the storm - literally - to fulfill a promised short-wave broadcast premiere. Here’s Jeremy Boot G4NJH with the details.

JEREMY: Listeners had counted on hearing the first short-wave broadcast of the D.A.R.C.'s amateur news programme from Woofferton, England – but no one had counted on the severe storm that was bearing down on the west of England. The damage rendered 7 of the station’s 35 antennas unusable leaving the 9670 kHz broadcast imperiled as the start of the programme drew near.

The technical team scrambled and, on short notice, improvised: They "Crash-Started" another transmitter and a different antenna so that they were able to put the programme on the air, just as expected, on-time and on-frequency.

In an announcement to listeners on Sunday, 12th January, Radio D.A.R.C.’s Rainer Englert, DF2NU, thanked the Woofferton team, saying [quote] “this incident shows once again that technicians help each other and do everything humanly possible.” [endquote].

Although reception reports varied unexpectedly because of the different equipment employed, over 1,000 listeners’ emails poured in, praising the programme. Rainer proclaimed the premiere a success.

The Woofferton station had saved Radio D.A.R.C. for its listeners after the closure of its previous short-wave broadcaster in Moosbrun, Austria, had been obliged to close down.

Meanwhile, the station reports that the original antennas have since been repaired and their original configuration restored. The show will indeed go on.

(RADIO D.A.R.C.)

Is a Cheap Frequency Standard Worth It?

In the quest for an accurate frequency standard there are many options depending on your budget, but one of the most affordable is an oven controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO). [RF Burns] has a video looking at one of the cheapest of these, a sub ten dollar AliExpress module.

A crystal oven is a simple enough device — essentially just a small box containing a crystal oscillator and a thermostatic heater. By keeping the crystal at a constant temperature it has the aim of removing thermal drift from its output frequency, meaning that once it is calibrated it can be used as a reasonably good frequency standard. The one in question is a 10 MHz part on a small PCB with power supply regulator and frequency trimming voltage potentiometer, and aside from seeing it mounted in an old PSU case we also are treated to an evaluation of its adjustment and calibration.

Back in the day such an oscillator would have been calibrated by generating an audible beat with a broadcast standard such as WWV, but in 2024 he uses an off-air GPS standard to calibrate a counter before measuring the oven crystal. It’s pretty good out of the box, but still a fraction of a Hertz off, thus requiring a small modification to the trimmer circuit. We’d be happy with that.

For the price, we can see that one of these makes sense as a bench standard, and we say this from the standpoint of a recovering frequency standard nut.

CONTESTS...

January 18 - 19 -- PRO Digi Contest (digital)
January 18 -- RSGB AFS Contest, SSB (phone)
January 18 - 19 -- North American QSO Party, SSB (phone)
January 18 - 19 -- NA Collegiate Championship, SSB (phone)
January 18 - 20 -- ARRL January VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)
January 18 - 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint (digital)
January 19 - 20 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
January 22 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
January 23 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)

 

THURSDAY EDITION: 17° and blowing here on Cape Ann, it's winter without the snow here...only 62 days until spring....Will someone please enlighten the boob on 3919 that a 1/2 wavelength on 75 meters is not thirty feet..

AA Battery Performances Tested, So Get The Most For Your Money

[Project Farm] has a video in which a wide variety of AA cells are analyzed and compared in terms of capacity, internal resistance, ability to deliver voltage under load, and ability to perform in sub-freezing temperatures. Alkaline, lithium, and even some mature rechargeable cells with a couple thousand cycles under their belt were all compared. There are a few interesting results that will can help you get the most from your money the next time you’re battery shopping.

The video embedded below demonstrates a set of tests that we recommend you check out, but the short version is that more expensive (non-rechargeable) lithium cells outperform their alkaline peers, especially when it comes to overall longevity, ability to perform under high-drain conditions, and low temperatures. Lithium cells also cost more, but they’re the right choice for some applications.

As for how different brands stack up against one another, many of them are more or less in the same ballpark when it comes to performance. Certainly there are better and worse performers, but outside of a couple of stinkers the rest measure up reasonably well. Another interesting finding was that among rechargeable cells that were all several years (and roughly 2,200 charge-discharge cycles) old, a good number of them still performed like new.

Probably the single most striking difference among the different cells is cost — and we’re not just talking about whether lithium versus alkaline AAs are more cost-effective in the long run. Some brands simply cost twice as much (or more!) than others with comparable performance. If you’re in a hurry, jump to [Project Farm] presenting the final ranked results at 19:45 in.

Relying on brand recognition may save you from buying complete junk, but it’s clearly not the most cost-effective way to go about buying batteries.  These findings are similar to an earlier effort at wide-scale battery testing which also determined that factoring in price-per-cell was too significant to ignore.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

EMAIL:

https://www.amateurradio.com/the-decline-in-arrl-membership-and-market-share-2001-2023/

 

24 DEGREE WEDNESDAY EDITION: The ARRL screws up yet again by raising the dues and charging extra for the paper magazine, check the membership trends.....

With the growth in amateur licenses—shown above for this century—the League has simply sunk like a stone in garnering market share. The highest market share was at the beginning of this period under Dave Sumner’s tenure as CEO, some 23.6% of the licensed hams at that time. Once he left the building, the market share has plummeted under each successive CEO that has a corporate management background. (I’ll comment on this element in the conclusions below.) Due to the decline in licenses from 2022-23, the share actually ticked back up but this was based on about 2,000 fewer members.

But is the ARRL alone in this lack of the membership market? Dan KB6NU’s column comparing the ARRL to Germany shows how far the situation has declined in the U.S. The DARC has about 50 percent of all licensed hams as members. Dan noted that the former membership director at ARRL left to take a similar position in a professional academic, membership-focused, non-profit. The Gerontological Society of America is a group of which I’m familiar as a former Professor of Sociology. Out of the 7,500 licensed geriatricians in the U.S., there are over 5,500 members in the GSA. This is at least 73 percent of their market. Their professional members must get licensed and maintain it, not too dissimilar to amateur radio where hams take incremental exams and undergo periodic license renewal. The GSA serves the membership and lobbies to support policies that favor the conditions of their professionals and their clients. Both DARC in amateur radio and the GSA in the field of gerontology are clearly more valued by the market base to which they address.

Do the dramatic declines in market share by the League associated with each successor CEO to the long-term David Sumner K1ZZ suggest that these executives are to blame? Well, the buck does stop on that desk.

But I do not think that the root problem per se lies with the individual residing in that office. All three post-Sumner CEOs were hired from for-profit corporate management candidates. The ARRL is a non-profit, tax-exempt membership-driven corporation. Is this an optimal candidate pool for a Chief Executive Officer position at the ARRL?

There is the related organizational structure issue of governance authority lines for the position. The CEO is only answerable to the whole Board after a contract period is nearing an end (although these actions are not made publicly available). A single Board member has little authority over the sitting CEO unless s/he can get a majority of the Board to concur on a complete change in the position at the end of the “elected” contract period. There is an insular barrier around the CEO with regard to the operational HQ staff as Board members are instructed to not give directions to staff members. They must go through the “insulated” CEO who can just say no without any immediate consequences.

Moreover, lower-level elected representatives like Section Managers have NO authority over HQ staff, as they all report TO the Field Services Manager and CEO. I ask if the reader was aware of that inverted power relationship when voting for their SM. Very few I’ve talked to about this said yes.

The President of the League is not elected by the membership but the Board of Directors for a specified term, with possible succession. The Gerontological Society of America, mentioned above, elects it’s President from a simple vote of the membership. The same occurs for the DARC in Germany. Same for the Radio Society of Great Britain. Ditto for the Radio Amateur Society of Australia and the South African Amateur Radio Society. The only two that I’ve found who follow the pattern followed by the ARRL of the President being elected by the Board membership is the WIA in Australia and RAC in Canada. Note that RAC was formerly a Section of the ARRL and patterned most of it’s organization after the League. Thus, the ARRL is in a minority among these other national amateur radio groups in the authority given to the grassroots membership.

Of the three ARRL officers elected, only the Division Director/Board Member has any authority based on membership election. They have little direct-line authority except through majority Board action. The President is elected by the Board, not the membership. The Section Manager is elected but is subservient to a manager of Field Services at HQ that is hired and managed by the CEO. The Board technically renews the CEO’s contract through an “election” vote but the CEO is effectively an unelected Executive of the League without direct recourse by dues-paying members. No wonder so many former members took a hike from paying dues to an organization where they have no say in how the services they are supposed to receive from being a dues-paying member are managed!

But let’s leave the organizational chart to a future column for now. (It’s already being drafted.)

Some Thoughts on the National Association for Amateur Radio

There are few alternate conclusions to draw upon here. From a statistical viewpoint alone, the ARRL is NOT the National Association for Amateur Radio if the hobby market is the focus. As the 2023 Annual Report describes, the League does engage many hams into their activities: 7,000 volunteer staff (I am one); 26,000 Volunteer Examiners; about 200 Volunteer Monitors (I am also one who helped Riley Hollingsworth organized it); and various others totaling some 57,000 volunteers within its membership. Some, like me, are duplicates. But this engagement is very small compared to the hobbyist market to which the League claims to organize, lead and protect. The myARRL Voice group has argued over the past few years that the “protect” element has morphed into strong authoritarian behavior by the “inner circle” of the League. Whether the reader agrees or disagrees with that interpretation, there is no ignoring the fact that the organizational lines of authority do lend themselves to that potential.

Unfortunately, one of the key leaders of the current Strategic Planning Working Group, Division Director Fred Kemmerer AB1OC, was recently not re-elected to his Board position. I tried contacting him for some related information for this article, as directed by CEO Minster but he has not replied after two tries. I will address that issue in a later blog post. I can’t actually blame Fred AB1OC per se but this is not a good footing for internal operations when the CEO refuses to answer a question about a factual statement made by the President in the Annual Report, a fiduciary document. The extant conditions surrounding the ARRL do not lead me to think that there will be a bull-market turnaround in membership. There is a dire need to rethink how the HQ operates to serve members and the hobby market. The latter is strong, the not very well-known aging problem notwithstanding, but the organizing association is not doing well.

“There is a dire need to rethink how the HQ operates to serve members and the hobby market. … A wonderful drill bit make make the wrong hole if the hole in question requires a different geometry to be a good fit. Ask any homebrewer who builds things. A CEO from a for-profit career line just may not have the membership-focused, non-profit fit to be effective.“

Frank M. Howell, PhD K4FMH

The League’s standing among licensed hams, the current CEO’s attempt to paint only within the lines of an unknown “radio-active” segment to the contrary, is very poor. There is ample online media commentary to elaborate on this as well as an outsider group that provides critique to League actions, largely over governance issues. As just mentioned, the Board of Directors has recently assigned a group to develop a strategic plan for the future. It is an insider-driven committee which is a an all-too-frequent and major mistake in program evaluation. Insiders already have vested-interest solutions whereas knowledgeable outsiders can more likely see the forest over the trees. Engaging non-member hams as well as members who do not hold office to give insights is key in this situation. But this tends to frighten the extant power structure so there are many fool-hardy reasons to not include this type of free and unfettered input.

My take as a volunteer “flunky” in a Division under the two previous Directors is that it is not necessarily personal but positional in terms of leadership failure at HQ. A wonderful drill bit will make the wrong hole if the hole in question requires a different geometry to be a good fit. Ask any homebrewer who builds things. A CEO from a for-profit career line just may not have the membership-focused, non-profit fit to be effective.

From the management literature (obtained from a simple Google search for “management in corporate versus non-profit organizations”), a brief reminder of the different emphases might be useful. As a side note, I learned much of this information back in the 1990s while in the US Department of Agriculture’s Administration School, the largest one in the world since USDA programs are imbued with local volunteers. This stuff is far from new.

• Primary Goal: Corporate management aims to maximize profits for shareholders, while non-profit management aims to fulfill the organization’s social mission and serve the community.
• Decision-Making Focus: Corporate decisions are often driven by financial returns and market competition, while non-profit decisions prioritize the impact on beneficiaries and alignment with the mission.
• Funding Sources: Corporations generate revenue through sales and services, while non-profits rely on donations, grants, and fundraising activities.
• Board Composition: Corporate boards typically consist of shareholders and business leaders with a focus on financial performance, whereas non-profit boards often include community members, volunteers, and individuals passionate about the cause.
• Performance Metrics: Corporate performance is measured by profit margins, return on investment, and stock price, while non-profit performance is often assessed based on program impact, beneficiary satisfaction, and fundraising success.
• Resource Allocation: Corporate management may allocate resources more readily to high-profit initiatives, while non-profits may prioritize programs with significant social impact even if they are less financially lucrative.
• Compensation Structure: Corporate executives often receive large salaries and bonuses tied to financial performance, while non-profit leadership may have lower salaries with a greater emphasis on benefits to the community.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Corporations primarily engage with shareholders and customers, while non-profits need to actively engage with donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, and the broader community.

Does the reader see the difference in how a CEO candidate, as currently situated in the non-profit corporation of the ARRL, might operate very differently if s/he comes from a for-profit corporate vs a non-profit career background? Does that help us in understanding the membership data? I think so.

DXCC Application Processing Caught Up

TUESDAY EDITION: Still freezing here, bring it on.....I am replacing my palstar 2K tuner in excellent condition with a LDG AT1000, any interest fro $400 before I eBay it....

Handie-Talkie or Walkie-Talkie?

In ham radio, we often use Handie-Talkie or HT to describe a compact, handheld transceiver. My first exposure to the term Handie-Talkie was when I became a licensed radio amateur in 1977. As a student at Purdue University (W9YB), the absolute coolest VHF radio to have was the Motorola HT-220. Even a used one commanded a high price so they were out of my price range and I never owned one. These were 6-channel crystal-controlled transceivers…back then you had to set up the radio with the particular 2m frequencies you wanted to use. Because it was such an iconic radio, there are many HT-220 enthusiasts still around with websites with tons of useful information. See the HT-220 Page.

Motorola trademarked the name Handie-Talkie and used that nomenclature for many years with its line of portable radios. However, this trademark has expired, so now Handie-Talkie is a generic term.

Read more – K0NR: https://bit.ly/40vdMQP

Ham Radio Operators Serving During California Firestorms

Winter Field Day: Amateur radio operators seek the right frequency during emergency

 

MONDAY EDITION: Starting to feel like the winters of old, no complaints.....Look What You Can Do With Ohm’s Law....

That's what it looks like here...

Incredible moment man speaks to astronaut after making contact with space station

He was able to contact the International Space Station as it passed overhead

WEEKEND EDITION: Famous ham celebrities....22 degrees here but the bitter wind is gone, we got 2.5 inches of fluffy snow...the club got a donation yesterday, a Kenwood TS-820S. I plugged it in and the display does not work and while there is audio there is no RX. What a great donation! I love it when people donate shit that doesn't work so we can throw it out for them. The other gem was a Ameco PT-3 preamplifier, I bet someone on Ebay is drooling over this find.  He also gave us the desk mike which actually has some value and we can hang on to it....We sold over $3000 worth of donated gear last year and kept over $5000 worth of gear for our use. We have 8 working hf stations, all fairly modern equipment, and compatible antennas, not bad for a little club that owns their own clubhouse building.

Harvey Laidman (W8DX), Director on ‘The Waltons’ and ‘Matlock,’ Dies at 82

Harvey Laidman, a veteran TV director who helmed multiple episodes of such series as The Waltons, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, the original Matlock and 7th Heaven, has died. He was 82.

Laidman died of cancer on Jan. 3 in a hospice facility in Simi Valley, his son, Dan Laidman, told The Hollywood Reporter.

During his three-decade-plus career, he also directed installments of The Blue Knight, Family, Hawaii Five-O, Hunter, Kojak, Eight Is Enough, The Incredible Hulk, Lou Grant, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, Airwolf, Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I., Jake and the Fatman, Silk Stalkings and JAG.

Read more – Hollywood Reporter: https://bit.ly/3DNOtk7

FCC Upholds Record $34,000 Forfeiture Against Amateur Licensee

Amateur Radio Daily: On-air Event Introduces Marines to Ham Radio

pecial event station PA25MC will be on the air January 23rd to introduce members of the Royal Army to amateur radio. Sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Army Signal Regiment, the event will utilize military equipment using as many bands as possible on SSB.

QSL info:
PI4VBD / Verbindingsdienst,
Barchman Wuytierslaan 198,
3818 LN Amersfoort,
The Netherlands

Source: VE7SAR

FCC Issues Warning for Illegal Pirate Radio Signal Using WMLN’s Frequency (Massachusetts)

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a warning to a Dorchester man to shut down his radio station, which the FCC said is illegally using the same frequency as Curry College’s FM radio station, 91.5 WMLN.

According to the FCC, the station was broadcasting from Otisfield Street in Dorchester. In a letter to Roy Owens of Otisfield Street, the FCC said they had confirmed in August of 2024 that he was using the 91.5 frequency. Dorchester’s proximity to the transmitting tower for WMLN, which is on the Milton campus, was a concern.

WMLN Radio Director, Professor Kenneth Carberry, told The Currier Times it was an issue that could impact WMLN’s operations.

“Parts of Dorchester are certainly within our coverage area,” said Carberry. “With a pirate radio station on 91.5 FM, WMLN listeners in the Dorchester and Mattapan sections of Boston could hear interference or even lose our signal completely.”

The FCC’s letter to Owens further explained he could face millions in fines.

“Accordingly, you are hereby notified and warned that the FCC may issue a fine of up to $2,391,097 if, following the response period set forth below, we determine that you have continued to permit any individual or entity to engage in pirate radio broadcasting from the property that you own or manage,” said the FCC in the letter.

Owens has ten days from January 6th to respond to the FCC warning. A website listed a gospel radio station as operating on 91.5 in the Dorchester area. It is unclear if the station is still operating today.

Read more – The Currier Times: https://bit.ly/3DMbeVj

HamCation POTA Meet-up February 6th

The 3rd annual HamCation POTA Meet-up will take place in Apopka, Florida on February 6th. Participants will gather at Wekiwa Springs State Park from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The event will include a park activation, door prizes, lunch, and more. More information is available from the event flyer [PDF].

Source: HamCation

Amateur Radio Daily – Read More

 QuartzFest 2025 Takes Place January 19-25

QuartzFest is an ARRL Specialty Convention held in January near Quartzsite, Arizona in the United States. No other hamfest in the world brings together in one gathering so much innovation in mobile antenna systems, mobile ham shacks, recreational vehicles, portable and mobile EMCOMM systems, off-the-grid living, alternative energy and radio education.

Special events include:

• Off Road Adventure
• Hiking
• ARRL Forum
• Ham Radio Olympics
• Balloon Launch
• More [PDF]

Speaker sessions include:

• Amateur Television
• Starlink 101
• Mesh Workshop
• Meshtastic Presentation
• HandiHams
• GMRS for Hams
• Solar Batteries
• More [PDF]

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

UNPRECEDENTED FINE FOR HAM IN EMERGENCY-INTERFERENCE CASE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the US state of Idaho, where a ham radio operator is facing an unprecedented fine from the FCC in a case of interference with emergency responders. Kent Peterson KCØDGY has the details.

KENT: Rejecting the appeal of a ham radio operator who interfered with emergency responders' communications during a forest fire, the FCC is seeking a fine that is unprecedented in such cases.

Explaining its $34,000 penalty against the Idaho radio operator, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote: [quote] “You can’t interfere with public safety communications.” [Endquote] The FCC’s action came after finding Jason Frawley, WA7CQ, was not authorized to transmit on the frequency being used by Forest Service firefighters battling the blaze in July of 2021. Although the FCC issued the notice of liability in 2022, they did not adopt the penalty until late December. The agency did not explain the delay.

Frawley has acknowledged he was on the government frequency, 151.145 MHz, but told the FCC he had no malicious intent and was simply trying to assist the firefighters’ aircraft being used to suppress the flames. He told the FCC he cannot afford to pay the penalty and submitted financial documents to support his request. He has asked that the penalty be reduced or eliminated.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(RADIO WORLD, FCC)

**
STORM DAMAGE KEEPS AUSTRALIAN REPEATERS OFF AIR

SKEETER/ANCHOR: An important group of repeaters in New South Wales, Australia, will remain silent throughout January, after suffering storm damage in mid-December. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that update.

GRAHAM: Several repeaters operated by the Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club VK2BOR were knocked off the air during storms on the 13th of December. The damage was said to cause the worst disruption of operations in more than half-a-century for the repeaters at the Middle Brother site near Port Macquarie.

According to news reports, the host's power distribution system suffered lightning damage. The repeaters, which use the callsign VK2RPM, are not expected back in service until later this month.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(VK2NEWS, WIA)

**
SWISS PUBLIC BROADCASTER SHUTS ANALOGUE FM REPEATERS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Hundreds of FM transmitters have been shut down by Switzerland's public broadcaster, as radio programming there continues to move to different modes of distribution. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has more for us.

JEREMY: FM radio broadcasting continued its vanishing act when in Switzerland on the 31st of December, when the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation shut off an estimated 850 analogue FM transmitters, leaving listeners the options of either Internet radio or DAB+ for stations SRF1, SRF2 Kultur and SRF3.

The changeover by the nation's public broadcaster now leaves about 24 private radio stations still transmitting their programmes over broadcast FM. However, they are expected to follow the SBC's move, completing the transition no later than the end of 2026.

The Swiss Federal Office of Communications reports that the popularity of DAB+ and Internet radio has been growing consistently since 2015 while only 10 percent of the nation's radio listeners still tune in to broadcast FM - most whilst driving in their vehicles.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(SWLING POST, SWISSINFO.CH)

**
AMATEUR RADIO LESSONS FOR CIVIL SERVICE OFFICERS IN INDIA

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Improving the efficiency and quality of emergency traffic was at the heart of recent ham radio training sessions for civil service officers in India. Jason Daniels VK2LAW explains what was involved.

JASON: Emergency communication was front and centre for a group of 30 officers in the West Bengal Civil Service who recently completed amateur radio training as part of their duties in a part of India often beset by weather emergencies and natural disasters. State officials asked the West Bengal Radio Club to lead the instruction, which included an overview of the wireless laws from the Ministry of Telecommunication. The officers learned about their responsibilities as licensees and received demonstrations on the various modes of transmission during emergencies. As in other parts of the world, radio amateurs throughout India partner regularly with state agencies to pass emergency traffic and facilitate evacuations, rescues and civilian preparedness.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(THE MILLENNIUM POST)

'**
PACKET RADIO NETWORK LOOKING TO EXPAND

SKEETER/ANCHOR: As packet radio gains wider usage among hams involved in emergency communications, one East Coast network is looking to add more nodes to deepen its reach. Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us what's planned.

ANDY: Using mostly NVIS-range links, the Packet Radio RF Forwarding Network, or TPRFN, connects standalone nodes and VHF/UHF packet networks to HF bands. The result is efficient, low-bandwidth communication valued for its simple infrastructure and reliability as well as its interoperability with email, internet gateways and SMS. Radios, modems and simple hardware form its backbone.

In the US, the network reaches as far south as Florida and as far north as Maine. Operators are now hoping to create an NVIS-link between Maine and NY and another one between Florida and Virginia. Just as important is its goal of adding more nodes, especially those connecting the East Coast to any states farther west. At present there is only one node west of the region and that is in Wisconsin. According to the website, the network also needs more nodes in the northeastern US.

All of this planning comes as the operators prepare for their first net of the new year, which will take place on Sunday the 19th of January at 00:00 UTC. Additional details can be found on their website at tprfn dot net (tprfn.net)

As the website notes, the ultimate goal is to [quote] “provide valuable digital communications without the need for the Internet.” [Endquote]

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(QRZ.COM, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY, THE PACKET RADIO RF FORWARDING NETWORK)


**

PRIVILEGES EXTENDED IN GERMANY FOR 6M and 4M

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Amateurs in Germany received the welcome news that their access to the 6- and 4-metre bands is being extended. We have the details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The German regulatory office for telecommunications has granted temporary access for 6 metres for Class E licence holders at 100 watts between 50 and 50.4 MHz and using reduced power of 25 watts between 50.4 and 52 MHz on a non-interference basis.

The trial period lasts until December of 2025 for Class E amateurs, the equivalent of the US General Class operator.

According to the regulator's announcement made in December, Full licence holders are receiving extended access to 6 metres at the same power levels and 70.150-70.210 MHz in the 4-Metre band at 25 watts of power on a trial basis until December 2026.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(BNETZA)

**
'SPACE JUNK' FROM ROCKET LANDS IN KENYAN VILLAGE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Space junk - especially the kind that falls to earth - is back in the news. This time it has found its way to Africa. John Williams VK4JJW has an update.

JOHN: The Kenya Space Agency has been studying what it believes to be a 1,100-pound, or 500 kg, fragment of a rocket that landed in a village in the southern part of the nation. According to news reports, the metallic ring landed in Mukuku village on the 30th of December sometime around 3 p.m. local time. The heavy object is about 8 feet, or 2.5 metres, in diameter.

The space agency issued a statement describing the fragment as a separation ring that had been part of a launch vehicle - something typically designed to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and fall in an uninhabited area or burn up upon re-entry.

According to the New York Times, no one was injured or killed by the object. However, experts have expressed concern over the frequency of such incidents involving space debris.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(CBS NEWS, NY TIMES)

**

PENNSYLVANIA AMATEURS CONTINUE PROGRAM TO AID VETERANS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: It's only January but it's not too early to start thinking about another month that begins with the letter "J" - July. It's all for a good cause. Here's Travis Lisk N3ILS to explain.

TRAVIS: For many here in the United States, what goes better with celebrating a nation's independence than acknowledging a unique program that has helped encourage the independence of injured US military veterans since 1942? The program is Stamps for the Wounded and in Pennsylvania, the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club has embraced supporting it as one of their special missions. Independence Day in the US arrives on the 4th of July - and is marked by the popular 13 Colonies Special Event. The Holmesburg club, which participates in the event - and runs the bonus station WM3PEN - sends QSL cards accompanied by literature about Stamps for the Wounded. People around the world send stamps that can be used in projects to pique disabled veterans' interest in culture, history and stamp collecting itself. Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, the club's acting secretary, said stamps from hams' QSL cards have always been an invaluable source.

The club received a big thank-you from Rob Jenson, president of Stamps for the Wounded, at the end of 2024. For information about donating undamaged, used stamps, contact Rich Shivers, K3UJ, or visit stampsforthewounded.org

By the way, there's no need to wait until July to send stamps. Any support can be thought of as a real special event.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(HARC, BOB JOSUWEIT, WA3PZO)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Felix, DL5XL is using the callsign DP1POL from the German research station Neumayer [NOY MY URR] III, Antarctica, IOTA number AN-016, from the 12th of January through to the 25th of February. Felix will be operating mainly CW on the HF bands but will use some SSB and digital modes. QSL via DL1ZBO.

Listen for Darren, VK4MAP, operating holiday style as H40DA from Pigeon Island in the Reef Islands, IOTA number OC-065, for a few weeks. Darren is using SSB on 80, 40, 20, 15, 12 and 10 metres. QSL direct to his home call.

There will be a year-long celebration of the patents registered by Guglielmo Marconi organized by ARI Fidenza. Operators will be using special callsigns throughout 2025. The callsign for January is II4FPEN, for February II4FPUS and for March, II4SHLD. To learn more about this on-air activity and to see other callsigns for more of the months ahead, visit www.arifidenza.it You can also find details about the “Marconi - Patented By” award.

Livio, IZ3BUR, will be using the callsign J52EC from Guinea-Bissau from the 26th of January to the 1st of March. He will operate holiday style on 20, 15 and 10 metres SSB and possibly digital modes. QSL direct to his home call.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: CHASING POTA, BUT ANSWERING A DIFFERENT CALL

SKEETER/ANCHOR: It is a source of pride for Parks on the Air hunters to get a Worked All States award, a park-to-park award or any number of the recognitions for top performance. One chaser in Arizona, however, knows that there's something even better than logging a new park or a new country while hunting POTA - it's helping a fellow ham in distress. Our final story this week comes from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: Mike Nester, KL7KTP, had a simple enough goal - to work POTA activator Zach Smith, K5WZS, who was engulfed in a pileup on New Year's Day while at US-3051, Ray Roberts Lake State Park in Texas. Mixed in with his "CQ" and that massive blend of callsigns was yet another call - it was unmistakable, to Mike's ears, as "Mayday." Relating the story on Facebook, Zach said he could barely copy it but he knew that Mike, in Green Valley, Arizona, had picked it up. For Mike, that signal grew steadily stronger: It was Julie N6EKO who was with another ham in June Lake, California. Neither one was reporting any injuries but both were in a vehicle that was stuck in the snow. They were stranded. Julie was able to provide GPS coordinates to Mike, who reached out to their local sheriff.

Zach said that meanwhile he learned that a good Samaritan came by and was able to pull them out with a tow strap. Mike, who is a retired firefighter, said that while this situation resolved quickly, it could have just as easily gone in another direction, escalating into an emergency as the day went on. He told Newsline in an email: [quote] "Imagine how things could go if stuck in the wilderness in the winter and the sun goes down!...I learned very early in my career that an emergency to someone...is any situation that an individual has found themselves in that has gone beyond their capabilities to handle.” [end quote]

A good reminder for the year ahead from Mike: Amateur radio is a lot of things - but such calls should be serious business to all of us.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

WORSE THAN COLD THURSDAY EDITION: Joe-JEK and friends will be at HRO today if you want to stop in and have a Chinese lunch and shoot the shit, too cold for me to venture out today....single digits this morning and wind howling, below zero windchill to start the day on the island...Wild fires gone crazy in CA, if Glenn  K1MAN was still alive he would have sent out an emergency team, lol...I worked  few contacts on 20 meters using slow scan tv mode- good for a few laughs....

YAESU FTM-300 DONE FOR ACCORDING TO THIS REPORT

CA Club hosting ham radio Field Day in Surprise

Have you ever wondered what all those funny looking antennas on your neighbor’s house are all about?

The West Valley Amateur Radio Club will be hosting its Winter Field Day, an annual event for ham radio enthusiasts on the last full weekend of January at the Surprise Regional Library, 16089 N. Bullard Ave.

Field Day offers a unique opportunity for radio operators to set up field operations in remote locations, enabling them to connect with other participants worldwide.

The Winter Field Day event also aims to help participants improve their preparedness for disasters and enhance their operational abilities in adverse conditions.

The Field Day will be “on the air” from 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 around the clock until 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26.

Users may choose to participate solo or get friends, family or a whole club involved.

Ham radio operators should practice portable emergency communications in winter environments. This is because freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and other hazards pose unique operational concerns.

Here in Arizona’s warm weather, the group will be making radio contacts with other hams operating outdoors, in tents, or trailers in freezing weather. All will be using portable or “compromised” antennas to make contact with others around the globe.

Ham radio operators are licensed by the Federal Government to use frequencies on the HF, VHF, or UHF bands while employing voice, Morse Code, and digital transmissions. The event designates specific objectives to encourage a diverse range of activities, including the use of non-commercial power sources, the deployment of multiple antennas, establishing satellite contacts and more.

This is a contest to make as many contacts with other hams worldwide as possible within the time frame allowed.

 Pi Pico Makes SSTV Reception a Snap

FRICKEN COLD TUESDAY: It is some cold here on the rock they call Cape Ann, 0 degrees with the wind chill factor.....

Ham Operator Must Pay in First-Responder Interference Case

Arguing good intentions, Jason Frawley also said he can’t afford the penalty

A ham radio operator in Idaho must pay a record $34,000 penalty for causing interference with communications during a fire suppression effort.

That’s the ruling from the Federal Communications Commission in the case of Jason Frawley, licensee of amateur station WA7CQ.

When the commission issued its notice of liability 2-1/2 years ago, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote: “You can’t interfere with public safety communications. Full stop. So today we propose the largest fine of its type for this interference that put fire suppression and public safety itself at risk.”

Frawley acknowledged that he operated on a frequency without authorization but argued that he did not interfere with government communications and was trying to help. He asked for a cancellation or reduction but the commission has rejected his appeal.

It’s not clear why the FCC took so long to finalize the penalty.

When the forfeiture finally was adopted the day after Christmas, Commissioner Nathan Simington dissented but did not release a reason. Radio World has followed up with his office and will report any response.

The details

The FCC said that in 2021, Frawley willfully and repeatedly operated without authorization and interfered with radio communications of the U.S. Forest Service, which was attempting to direct operations of fire suppression aircraft working a 1,000-acre wildfire on national forest land near Elk River, Idaho.

The FCC said that over a two-day period, Frawley transmitted eight times without authorization on a frequency allocated to government use.

The Forest Service complained about transmissions on 151.145 MHz. According to its case summary, the frequency is in the Public Safety Pool that was being used by the Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands to coordinate the firefighting.

“The complaint stated that the individual had caused radio frequency interference to communications with the U.S. Forest Service firefighter’s fire suppression aircraft,” the FCC wrote.

“The complaint alleged that, on July 17 and 18, 2021, the individual had interrupted fire suppression activities and had begun advising the firefighters and aircraft personnel of hazards at a radio repeater site located at Elk Butte. The complaint also stated that the individual had identified himself on the radio as ‘comm tech’ and his location as the Elk River airstrip.”

The FCC said that on July 18, the fire operations section chief left the scene of the fire, drove to the airstrip and told Frawley to cease operations on the frequency.

In 2022 the FCC issued its notice of liability, as we reported at the time.

In response, Frawley did not contest that he had operated unauthorized on a government frequency.

But he said he made six transmissions, not eight; that the total duration of the transmissions including the firefighters’ responses was less than one minute; and that he did not cause interference to ongoing communications.

He said he made the transmissions with “good faith and non-malicious intent to help,” that he hadn’t been given a warning before being fined, that he had a history of compliance, and that he can’t afford to pay the penalty. He submitted tax forms as evidence.

Frawley said his actions should not be handled like those of someone who had malicious intent or deliberately jammed signals. Instead an admonishment would be more appropriate.

Decision upheld

But the FCC is unmoved: “We have fully considered the arguments and accompanying financial information set forth in Frawley’s NAL response and subsequent filings, but we find none of them persuasive,” the commission has ruled.

It said the base forfeiture is $10,000 per violation for each of the two days that Frawley operated without a license on 151.145 MHz and $7,000 for each of the two days that he caused interference to authorized stations. It added that it had actually chosen not to adjust the penalty upwards, as it has done in certain past cases.

Further, while the FCC acknowledged that one of its criteria for reducing a penalty is “good faith or voluntary disclosure,” it said it has no precedent for applying “good faith” intention in a case involving first responders. Even if it had, the commission ruled, this instance “was particularly serious and could have had significant negative consequences for first responders, who were fighting a significant wildfire.”

Also, “Frawley asserts that he is no longer engaging in unauthorized transmissions on public safety frequencies and, moreover, that the ‘wide publicity’ surrounding this matter has already deterred similar behavior by himself and others.” But the FCC said his case is different from those where a violator took affirmative steps to remedy an ongoing or persistent violation, like providing a missing application or installing missing equipment. “We decline to grant a downward adjustment based solely on a violator’s inaction.”

And the commission said that although Frawley’s financial documents on their own could support a reduction, “given the totality of the circumstances and facts before us, we find his ability to pay is outweighed by the nature of the violations themselves and their potential threat to public safety communications.”

 

MONDAY EDITION: Hmmm, 13 degrees here right now at 8am not mentioning the wind chill factor...I just got a nice pay raise, my social is going up 66% and retro for a year. I was one of the ones that fell under the WEP bill. If you had a government job for retirement, you lost 66 percent of your social, Biden signed a bill that eliminated WEP- he did one thing right....

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio Launches Dream Station Sweepstakes

 555 Timers Bring Christmas Charm to Miniature Village

The miniature Christmas village is a tradition in many families — a tiny idyllic world filled happy people, shops, and of course, snow. It’s common to see various miniature buildings for sale around the holidays just for this purpose, and since LEDs are small and cheap, they’ll almost always have some switch on the bottom to light up the windows.

This year, [Braden Sunwold] and his wife started their own village with an eye towards making it a family tradition. But to his surprise, the scale lamp posts they bought to dot along their snowy main street were hollow and didn’t actually light up. Seeing it was up to him to save Christmas, [Braden] got to work adding LEDs to the otherwise inert lamps.

Now in a pinch, this project could have been done with nothing more than some coin cells and a suitably sized LED. But seeing as the lamp posts were clearly designed in the Victorian style, [Braden] felt they should softly flicker to mimic a burning gas flame. Blinking would be way too harsh, and in his own words, look more like a Halloween decoration.

This could have been an excuse to drag out a microcontroller. But instead, [Braden] did as any good little Hackaday reader should do, and called on Old Saint 555 to save Christmas. After doing some research, he determined that a trio of 555s rigged as relaxation oscillators could be used to produce quasi-random triangle waves. When fed into a transistor controlling the LED, the result would be a random flickering instead of a more aggressive strobe effect. It took a little tweaking of values, but eventually he got it locked down and sent away to have custom PCBs made of the circuit.

With the flicker driver done, the rest of the project was pretty simple. Since the lamp posts were already hollow, feeding the LEDs up into them was easy enough. The electronics went into a 3D printed base, and we particularly liked the magnetic connectors [Braden] used so that the lamps could easily be taken off the base when it was time to pack the village away.

We can’t wait to see what new tricks [Braden] uses tothe village alive for Christmas 2025. Perhaps the building lighting could do with a bit of automation?

FRIDAY EDITION: I loaded the trial edition of Ham Radio Deluxe and got it configured, it has a 30 day free trial and then it's $100 bucks. I think I will let this one go, I am not impressed....

9X2AW to be Active from Rwanda

DF2WO will be active in Rwanda as 9X2AW January 27th through February 15th. This is a single operator “holiday-style” activity. Interruptions may occur during the activation window. 9X2AW will be active from grid square KI48XB on 10 meters through 160 meters as well as on the QO-100 satellite.

See QRZ for more information.

Source: QRZ

Amateur Radio Daily – Read More

Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club’s Service Project Recognized Around the World

Since 2014 the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club has participated in the Stamps for the Wounded program.

Stamps for the Wounded (SFTW) is a service organization dedicated to providing comfort and stimulating activity to U.S. veterans through stamp collecting. SFTW sends stamps, covers, supplies and literature to enable veterans to begin, or continue to collect stamps. Stamp collecting is an activity that provides comfort, meaningful activity and social connections... it is not physically challenging and very stimulating.

SFTW has been helping veterans since 1942 and welcomes any U.S. veteran who would like to begin, or continue collecting stamps, to join our program to receive stamps and philatelic materials.

The Club originally got involved with the SFTW program when they received about 1000 QSL card requests following members participation in the annual 13 Colonies Special Event held each July. HARC’s Club call, WM3PEN, is a bonus station during that event. The question came up as to what, if anything, could be done with all of the cancelled stamps on the envelopes. Upon learning of the program club members began inserting a brief note about the program with the QSL card request.  Soon envelopes, both large and small, started to arrive from around the U.S. We even got packages from England and Germany. Stamps came from individuals, sports clubs, businesses, etc. Many asked how could their school or business get involved. Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, trustee of the WM3PEN callsign, says this has provided a way to introduce people to ham radio. Rich Shivers, K3UJ, who coordinates the shipping of the stamps to SFTW says that the Club has shipped about 74 pounds of stamps so far. That’s a lot of stamps when you consider stamps are shipped with about a ¼ inch border.

Rob Jenson, president of Stamps for the Wounded recently thanked HARC for “coordinating outreach among your members, and other amateur radio operators around the world. We have received donations from others who have seen info with your QSL cards and on your web site.”

Following a recent HARC shipment to SFTW, Jenson said “We gratefully acknowledge receipt of your box of US and foreign used stamps, and some US mint postage stamps. On behalf of our veterans, and our all volunteer staff, we thank you all for promoting us, and encouraging your members and other radio operators to send us stamps from QSL cards, which we forward to the veterans.”

He continued, “We have plenty of material to share, so if any of your members, or radio contacts are veterans or active-duty military who collect stamps or covers, or who are interested in adding stamp collecting to their hobbies, please point them to our web site at https://stampsforthewounded.org/for-veterans and we will get them set up.”

Some of the items the SFTW program can use include: Undamaged, used stamps from the USA or a foreign country except for common stamps that have “Non Profit” or “Bulk Rate” printed on them or stamps with the US Flag as their entire design. Other types of stamps and envelopes that are acceptable can be found on the stampsforthewounded.org website.

For further information contact Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO at WM3PEN@AOL.COM.

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

PARKER SOLAR PROBE 'TOUCHES' THE SUN

JIM/ANCHOR: The Parker Solar Probe, launched by NASA in 2018, ended 2024 by nearly touching the untouchable - the sun. We hear more from Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: On Christmas Eve - December 24th - NASA's solar probe set a record by flying 3.86 million miles, or 6.1 million kilometres, from the sun. That approach made the small probe the first - and fastest - object created by humans to come that close to the sun, according to a report in Forbes magazine. Its speed was clocked at 430,000 miles per hour, the equivalent of 692,000 kilometres per hour.

Nicola Fox, NASA's associate administrator for science missions, said in a Christmas Eve video that the probe had achieved the very mission it was intended for with its unprecedented flight so close to the sun.

This solar pass came as the probe made its 22nd approach since its launch more than six years ago. The probe is well-shielded for this latest plunge into the sun: More than four years ago it entered one of the most powerful coronal mass ejections ever recorded, according to NASA.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(FORBES.COM, NASA)

**
HANDIHAM PROGRAM LOOKS BACK ON GAINS, SUCCESSES

JIM/ANCHOR: In the US, the Handiham Program ended 2024 by reporting on gains and successes in its services and initiatives to disabled amateur radio operators. We hear about them from Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

KENT: The Handiham Program, which has served the disabled ham community since 1967, ended 2024 with a progress report to its supporters and on its website, outlining gains in its journey. The year included a number of new classes held virtually, including one in basic Morse Code and another for Technician Class candidates. Handiham said that its radio club also achieved gains, reaching a milestone membership level of 158. The Handiham program itself welcomed 65 new participants.

Program coordinator Lucinda Moody, AB8WF, summed the year up by calling it [quote] "a year of achievement and expansion." [endquote]

For more details about the program, visit handiham.org.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(HANDIHAM)

**
STRAIGHT KEY MONTH IS HERE

JIM/ANCHOR: It isn't just January - it's Straight Key Month - and Randy Sly W4XJ is here to tell us what that means.

RANDY: Calling all CW operators! January is the month to put your paddle in the drawer and dust off your straight key. If you have cooties or bugs in your ham shack, you can use them, too! It’s time for the 19th annual Straight Key Month, hosted by the Straight Key Century Club.

Throughout the month, you’ll be able to work K3Y stations in all the US call areas, including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. In addition, stations from regions within the IARU membership in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America will also be on the air.

Taking their cue from the ARRL’s long-running Straight Key Night every January 1, the SKCC extends the event from the 2nd to the 31st of the month. Whether you’re a seasoned operator or just beginning your CW journey, you’ll find Straight Key Month to be a great deal of fun while increasing your skills. Information for this event can be found at skccgroup.com/k3y.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ

**

SILENT KEY: JOSEPH HENRY STORMER, W3TL, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATOR

JIM/ANCHOR: An influential ham in the amateur radio community in Delaware has become a Silent Key. We hear more about him from Sel Embee KB3TZD.

SEL: In 2005, Joseph Henry Stormer, W-3-T-L, returned to amateur radio, the hobby he had loved as a teenager. He quickly deepened his involvement in both ham radio and the community. Joe joined the Sussex Amateur Radio Association in 2006 and became its president a year later. He also belonged to the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, the OM International Sideband Society, and served as an assistant emergency coordinator for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service of the ARRL. He was a team leader for the Beebe Bee Hospital's amateur radio operators' room.

As a Volunteer Examiner, Joe was also a team leader of the Delaware Amateur Radio Testing Team and certified volunteer examiner with the Laurel Amateur Radio Club. He let hams and prospective hams throughout Delaware know they were always welcome to contact him to arrange for a licensing exam.

According to his online obituary, he became ill last year. Joe died on December 22nd. He was 80.

**
GEORGIA CLUB DONATES RADIO BOOKS TO LOCAL LIBRARY

JIM/ANCHOR: The Jackson-Butts County Public Library in Georgia is QRV. A collection of 11 amateur radio books donated a month ago by the Amateur Radio Club of Butts County has been entered into the library's system and was placed on the shelves recently for circulation.

This is the latest partnership in the US of amateur radio clubs and their local libraries. Library manager, Cathy Kelly, told Newsline that the donation was made through the efforts of Buzz Kutcher, K3GWK and Nancy Phillips, K4NEP, from the club. The volumes include technical books, licensing guides and regulations from the Federal Communications Commission.

Cathy told Newsline: [quote] "We are hoping they will be useful to many. They're ready to go!" [endquote]

(THE JACKSON PROGRESS, CATHY KELLY)

**
CQ DX MARATHON RETURNS FOR YEAR-LONG RUN

JIM/ANCHOR: Lace up your running shoes and sit down in your shack - and get ready for an on-the-air marathon that encourages operators to go the distance through December 2025. Jack Parker W8ISH shares the details.

JACK: The CQ DX Marathon is back - and just as the marathon for 2024 comes to an end, the new one has begun. Avid DXers are already on the hunt through the end of December, hoping to work as many countries and CQ zones as possible. The idea, of course, is to see who can work the most countries, or DX entities, and CQ zones by the time 23:59 rolls around on December 31st. Keep in mind that contacts through repeaters and satellites do not count, nor do contacts with aeronautical mobile or maritime stations. Only the use of amateur radio frequencies is permitted.

Organizers made some changes in mid-December to rules that affect the awards, operating class and youth participation. For a full description of the rules and who is affected, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.


**
HAM CLUB AT DEUTSCHES MUSEUM CALLS QRZ FOR CENTENNIAL

JIM/ANCHOR: Amateur radio station DLØDM recently finished celebrating two anniversaries in December: the club's 75th year as a radio licensee and its 35th year of operating from its home at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Now the ham radio station is getting ready for another celebration: the centennial of the museum, one of the world's major showcases of science and technology. Jeremy Boot G4NJH gives us the details.

JEREMY: The amateur radio club at Munich's Deutsches Museum is putting the callsign DL100DM on the air throughout 2025.

The museum is marking its 100th anniversary, a time particularly for amateurs to remember its longstanding connection to radio. Even before the ham radio club had established a permanent presence there, the museum was proudly featuring a 100-watt shortwave transmitter, that had been built by a student in 1938, which CW operators would occasionally put it on the air. The transmitter is still at the museum and it is on view in the electronics exhibition area.

The club station however isn't simply a part of the museum's exhibits and its daily demonstrations - it is a major part of the centennial celebration. Listen out all this year for their special call.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(DEUTSCHES MUSEUM, 425 DX BULLETIN)

**
CONVENTION TACKLES TOPIC OF DXPEDITION CHALLENGES

JIM/ANCHOR: The changing nature of challenges facing DXpeditioners is getting a closer look at the upcoming International DX Convention, as we hear from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: Organizers of the International DX Convention are calling the opening-day program on Friday, April 11th, a "first of its kind" event: It's a full day of discussions devoted to solving problems that have emerged as some top DX entities grow more expensive, more restrictive and more risky. Although new approaches, such as remotely controlled stations, have been employed for successful activations, DXers are seeking even more creative solutions.

The one-day program will take place on the first day of the three-day convention at the Visalia Conference Center in Visalia, California and will bring demonstrations and guest speakers into the spotlight. The topics will be of particular interest to DXers, DXpeditioners and contest station designers -- and any other hams hoping to sharpen their DXCC scores.

Registration for the conference has already opened. The conference itself concludes on the 13th of April.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(DXCONVENTION.COM)

**
YEAR-LONG SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATES BRITAIN'S RAILWAYS

JIM/ANCHOR: A year-long special event is under way to celebrate the railways that serve Britain. Jeremy Boot G4NJH gives us the details.

JEREMY: Train enthusiasts credit the modern railways with helping Britain's identity take shape over the decades. The British Railways Amateur Radio Society G4LMR has amplified that message on the air since it was formed in 1966 by a handful of railwaymen who were also amateur radio operators. Now its membership includes any amateurs with an interest in the railways.

A busy and active society with a full event calendar, the group is hosting a year-long special event station GBØLMR, to promote the message of celebration and mark 200 years of modern railway service. The station is on the air from January through to the end of 2025.

If you have an interest in trains, or just in history, this is just the ticket.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(QRZ.COM, BRARS.INFO)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, special event station CS2Ø25HNY is on the air from Portugal through to the 7th of January. Be listening on various HF bands for operators from the National Association of Portuguese Radio Amateurs. QSL via CT1REP.

Terry, GM3WUX will be marking the bicentenary of the development of the Braille system for the blind and vision-impaired by activating the special callsign GB2ØØLB. Find Terry on the air from the 4th through to the 31st of January using mainly CW. See QRZ.com for more details.

The South African Radio League is marking its 100 years anniversary with a special event callsign ZS1ØØSARL, for its marathon QSO Party that began on the 1st of January and runs through to the 31st of December. See QRZ.com for details.

Harald DF2WO will return to Rwanda as 9X2AW and be on the air from the 27th of January through to the 15th of February. Listen for him operating holiday style on 10 through 160 metres. He will also be making contacts VIA the QO-100 satellite. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Singapore radio amateurs callsigns featuring the special prefix "S6Ø" in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Singapore becoming an independent republic. Members of the Singapore Amateur Radio Transmitting Society are using the special prefix instead of the standard 9V1 prefix through the 9th of August, which is the actual anniversary date.

The Czech DXpedition Group will be using the callsign C8K from Mozambique from the 17th of January through to the 2nd of February. Find them on 160 through 6 metres and via the QO-100 satellite. They will be using CW, SSB, FT8 and RTTY. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: WINNING NEWSLINE HAIKU CELEBRATES LIFE-SAVING RADIO

JIM/ANCHOR: Newsline marked 2024 as its second year of the Ham Radio Haiku Challenge. We've been impressed with what our listeners have come up with. Kevin Trotman N5PRE is here to tell us about this year's winner whose haiku was featured earlier this year on our website. He will share it now to close out this week's newscast.

KEVIN: The haiku submitted by Ray Chiste, KB2ZOB, of Cream Ridge, New Jersey, was featured on our website on the 18th of October. The haiku addresses the life-saving role ham radio often plays. Here's what he wrote:

Muddy nighttime search
Head lamped men with radios
Finally rescued

We congratulate Ray for his winning haiku and encourage our listeners anywhere in the world to submit their own creations at the website, following traditional haiku form. Visit arnewsline.org and look for the "Ham Radio Haiku" link at the right-hand end of the title bar. We look forward to another year of you exercising your poetic license as well as your ham radio license.

THURSDAY EDITION: I know most of you could connect your rig to  your computer like nothing, but nothing comes easy for me regarding ports and settings, drivers, etc. I spent 2 hours on YouTube fumbling around and finally got the rig control and wjst running. The main problem is the Icom usb driver does not work on Windows 11, the fix being to use the old Icom driver and all went well. I never would have figured it out except for my search on YouTube which explained the problem and the work around. I don't like FT8 but just thought it was a good challenge for me to get it setup. Today I am going to install HRD and see if I can get that to work, even an old dog can learn new tricks!

The ‘ham’ tradition lives on

Ham radio is like Yankee Doodle, and just as American.

When the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club hosts its annual Hamfest at Florida Southwestern State College, members and visitors alike will embrace the term: “Ham radio.”

Both labels were once used by the powers that be to ridicule a group of people. But instead of reacting with anger at an insult, those people adopted it — “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in the case of colonial Americans revolting against British rule and taxation, or “ham radio” in the case of amateur radio operators.

According to the pros, amateur radio operators not only mangled the Morse code in a ham-fisted way when they tried to use it on air, but their poorly regulated signals sometimes interfered with other radio traffic. Thus, they were called ham radio operators.

To this day, however, they wear the term with pride — even if they can’t do Morse code with error-free impunity.

Dan Eaton, one of Hamfest’s organizers, is such a person — he never became particularly skilled at Morse code, which would have prevented him from getting himself licensed as a ham radio operator once upon a time.

“My uncle did this in Indiana when I was growing up, and Morse code might as well have been Latin for me,” Eaton said. “My ear or my brain did not work in dots and dashes. But when I found out you don’t need Morse anymore, I’m like OK, let’s do this.”

Now Morse code, created by some old dude named Samuel F.B. Morse in the 1830s for electrical telegraphy to speed up transmissions to something faster than a horse, can still be part of ham radio, but it’s not essential.

These days, anyone hankering to communicate independently over the air can do it with just a few skills, the first-level license called the technical license, and some basic equipment.

“The technical license basically allows you to do anything except bounce signals off the ionosphere,” Eaton said. That privilege and its uses come with the more advanced licenses: the general license or the “extra” license.

“The technician’s license is entry-level, so when you go to take the test, it’s more about regulations than other stuff. As you increase your knowledge, the licenses give you access to more bands only able to transmit on certain frequencies,” he said.

At Hamfest, organizers will not only provide the basic knowledge required to get the technical license, but they’ll offer the required test themselves at no charge for any who want to become hams.

Affordability is not the problem.

“Your basic hand-held radio is about $35,” Eaton said.

Describing the two-day Hamfest itself, “If you have ever been curious about amateur radio, a hamfest is the perfect place to dive in,” he explained. “A hamfest is essentially a gathering of amateur radio enthusiasts, or ‘ hams,’ where they come together to share knowledge, swap gear and celebrate all things amateur radio. Think of it as part tech fair, part flea market and part social event.”

If that sounds like a lot of fun, it’s probably expensive, right?

No. It’s $10 to get into Building U on campus on Friday, Jan. 10, from noon to 5 p.m. or Saturday, Jan. 11, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And if it’s fun, ham radio also has some essential, even lifesaving uses.

“You’ll find educational workshops and live demonstrations that show you the basics of radio communication,” Eaton said. “It’s a hands-on way to learn about this fascinating hobby and see how it can be used in everyday life, from chatting with neighbors to supporting emergency communications during disasters.”

In and after Hurricane Ian, for example, ham radio operators made a huge difference.

“With that little storm, when it decided to take out some infrastructure in barrier islands, places such as Sanibel and Captiva, we could still maintain communications with Emergency Operations Center,” Eaton said. “Ham operators deployed to different areas in the county — they could be a hospital, fire department, police department — and they helped the EOC maintain a good understanding of the theater of operations, about what was happening.”

If ham operators can sometimes communicate when others can’t, they still rely on power, but “the majority of power is 12 volt, and a lot of people are using generators or solar panels. That makes it more efficient.

It can be efficient, and it can be fun.

“The other day, I was just talking to somebody in Serbia,” Eaton said. “I don’t really know what’s going on in that part of the world, so we talked mostly about things like the weather.”

And with advances in technology, as with everything else, the possibilities become broader.

In the conversation with a Serbian, for example, Eaton used “the handheld radio, connecting to a hotspot in the house, connected to the Internet, which goes to another hotspot in Europe or Serbia, and that person may be connected to the same network. It’s somewhat voice-over IT, but that’s easy.”

There are other examples, he added.

“There’s music with high frequency, where you’re bouncing radio waves off the high atmosphere to Eastern Europe, for instance.”

And children at the Canterbury School in Fort Myers have discovered something even more compelling — they can talk to people in space, in live conversations.

“They do amateur radio on the International Space Station,” Eaton said. “So we have a gentleman, a member of the club, with all the equipment. He puts it on his trailer, takes it to school, hooks it up and students can talk to astronauts on the International Space Station. It all has to be prearranged, and they only have about an 8-minute window when it’s going over. But, wow.”

You can imagine the conversations those kids have when they get home.

“Honey, what happened in school today?”

“Not much, Mom. Oh yeah, I talked to somebody going 17,500 miles per hour, 300 miles above me, in space.”

The interest might start there, but it ends up reaching people like Stephen Hoch and John Wells, who are also members of the club happy to share what they know at Hamfest.

“Before I became licensed in 2016, I belonged to an Amateur Radio Explorer Post affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America when I was much younger and enjoyed shortwave listening often. My interest in radios continued as I entered the U.S. Air Force and became a Radio Communications Analyst, which allowed me to have exposure to many different modes of communications,” Wells said.

He spent a career in law enforcement, before taking up amateur “ham” radio and putting it to some use — helping in emergencies.

“I have a strong interest in emergency communications,” he said, “and to that end, I completed the EC-001, EC-016 and numerous FEMA courses to further my understanding when utilizing amateur radio communications during emergencies.”

As for Hoch, once a Philadelphian who used his skills there, he’s even taught a high school elective course in ham radio — and he’s been doing it a while.

Need a mentor? “(I’ve been) licensed since February of 1978, (with my) original call: KA3MAO,” he said.

His tech talk is impressive, even if it is unintelligible to the uninitiated. He retired as a subway train operator in the City of Brotherly Love in 2016, he said, and now practices only a single vocation: “I’m a professional Lollygagger!… Radioactive with an FTM-100D on a Diamond X30. Remote thru Smartlink on the Flex 6500 in Philadelphia, Penn. Newly active on Allstar node #47929. Summer 2020 installed Kenwood 480HX into Hi-Q screwdriver antenna and Yaesu FTM 400 in new Dodge Ram 1500.”

We know what a Lollygagger is, and we know what a Dodge Ram 1500 is. Most importantly, perhaps, we understand this: “Member, Fort Myers Radio Club.”

Eaton put it this way: “Hamfests are incredibly social events. You’ll meet people who share your interest in technology, communication and problem-solving. Whether you’re looking for a mentor or just want to chat, it’s a welcoming environment for newcomers and veterans alike.”

And it’s not just for people who communicate on Allstar node #47929, either.

“Hamfests aren’t just for hardcore techies — they’re family-friendly and full of excitement,” he explained. “Some events even have food trucks, raffles and fun activities for kids.”

Kids of any ages. ¦

 

NEW YEARS DAY EDITIION: Whatever you say, don't say this year has to be better than last!....I have not had a radio on in days except for the scanner, it has been a nice break...I am a little bored in retirement and I am thinking of one real estate project this spring-summer, see if I still have it....I spent last year working on many projects at the radio club and we are all caught up wih the projects. so onward and upward...

TUESDAY EDITION: We had a great turnout for coffee and donuts at the club today, I decided to pay our $1700 per year premium on building insurance, no choice really. We looked high and low and nobody wants to insure a club building...so we got shafted with  a $300 increase in premium to stay insured. My house insurance and car and truck insurance took a good hike this year as well. DBA America...

Handheld Satellite Dish is 3D Printed

Ham radio enthusiasts, people looking to borrow their neighbors’ WiFi, and those interested in decoding signals from things like weather satellites will often grab an old satellite TV antenna and repurpose it. Customers have been leaving these services for years, so they’re pretty widely available. But for handheld operation, these metal dishes can get quite cumbersome. A 3D-printed satellite dish like this one is lightweight and small enough to be held, enabling some interesting satellite tracking activities with just a few other parts needed.

Although we see his projects often, [saveitforparts] did not design this antenna, instead downloading the design from [t0nito] on Thingiverse. [saveitforparts] does know his way around a satellite antenna, though, so he is exactly the kind of person who would put something like this through its paces and use it for his own needs. There were a few hiccups with the print, but with all the 3D printed parts completed, the metal mesh added to the dish, and a correctly polarized helical antenna formed into the print to receive the signals, it was ready to point at the sky.

The results for the day of testing were incredibly promising. Compared to a second satellite antenna with an automatic tracker, the handheld 3D-printed version captured nearly all of the information sent from the satellite in orbit. [saveitforparts] plans to build a tracker for this small dish to improve it even further. He’s been able to find some satellite trackers from junked hardware in some unusual places as well. Antennas seem to be a ripe area for 3D printing.

 

Blog – Hackaday Read More

 

MONDAY EDITION: Quiet here on the homefront, late start today with business stuff.....

Single Crystal Electrode Lithium Ion Batteries Last a Long Time

Researchers have been testing a new type of lithium ion battery that uses single-crystal electrodes. Over several years, they’ve found that the technology could keep 80% of its capacity after 20,000 charge and discharge cycles. For reference, a conventional cell reaches 80% after about 2,400 cycles.

The researchers say that the number of cycles would be equivalent to driving about 8 million kilometers in an electric vehicle. This is within striking distance of having the battery last longer than the other parts of the vehicle. The researchers employed synchrotron x-ray diffraction to study the wear on the electrodes. One interesting result is that after use, the single-crystal electrode showed very little degradation. According to reports, the batteries are already in production and they expect to see them used more often in the near future.

The technology shows promise, too, for other demanding battery applications like grid storage. Of course, better batteries are always welcome, although it is hard to tell which new technologies will catch on and which will be forgotten.

There are many researchers working on making better batteries. Even AI is getting into the act.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

ARRL Systems Service Disruption

 

WEEKEND EDITION: ARRL Straight Key Night will be January 1, 2025, from 0000 UTC through 2359 UTC. This 24-hour event is not a contest but rather a day dedicated to celebrating our CW heritage.

Darkness Unleashed: NASA’s Breakthrough Discoveries From the 2024 Solar Eclipse

The 2024 solar eclipse across North America spurred numerous NASA-supported research projects that observed the eclipse’s impact on the sun’s corona, Earth’s atmosphere, and radio communications.

Significant data were gathered from ground-based telescopes, aircraft, amateur radio transmissions, and student-launched high-altitude balloons.

Sweeping Solar Eclipse Across North America

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse crossed North America, beginning on Mexico’s western coast, sweeping through the United States, and ending in northeastern Canada. To study the event, NASA funded several research projects and enlisted citizen scientists to explore how the Sun impacts Earth, particularly how its interactions affect the planet’s atmosphere and radio signals.

At a press briefing on December 10, scientists attending the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., shared early findings from several of these eclipse-related studies.

“Scientists and tens of thousands of volunteer observers were stationed throughout the Moon’s shadow,” said Kelly Korreck, eclipse program manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Their efforts were a crucial part of the Heliophysics Big Year – helping us to learn more about the Sun and how it affects Earth’s atmosphere when our star’s light temporarily disappears from view.”   ARTICLE

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

ROCKET'S SELF-DESTRUCTION ABORTS HAM SATELLITE'S JOURNEY

A much-anticipated ham radio satellite built by students in Taiwan never made it into orbit. The rocket self-destructed. Taiwan's PARUS T1A satellite was to become one of the newest FM repeaters in space but it never got a chance. The rocket launch was aborted by Japanese startup Space One right after liftoff on Wednesday, December 17th. The rocket destroyed itself, according to news reports. Engineer Mamoru Endo, a company executive, said that an autonomous safety mechanism triggered the destruction, likely after a first-stage engine or control system abnormality caused the rocket to become unstable.

Hams worldwide had anticipated the eventual orbit of 3U CubeSat which had an FM cross band repeater and an APRS digipeater on 145.825 MHz, the same frequency as the International Space Station's APRS channel. Meanwhile, the amateur satellite known as PARUS T1 is being scheduled for launch by SpaceX in January, carrying an APRS store-and-forward system. Both satellites were student projects at National Formosa University.

Jim Meachen ZL2BHF | (AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

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ISS HOSTING SPECIAL SSTV EVENT FOR HOLIDAY SEASON

Yes, there's a way to extend the holiday season for just a few more days. The International Space Station has been giving hams an opportunity to participate in an SSTV event that began Christmas Day, December 25th and runs through the 5th of January. It's an experiment known as Expedition 72 - the ARISS Series 23 SSTV Experiment. Transmissions of images are being sent via the ISS station, operating on 145.800 MHz using PD120 mode. Once you're done decoding the images, you can send them to ARISS and apply for an award. See the link in the text version of this week's newscast at https://arnewsline.org.
https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV (ARISS, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)

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NEW OBSTACLE FOR BILL TO KEEP BROADCAST AM RADIO IN US CARS

Once again, as before, a bill to mandate AM broadcast radio in US vehicles has died without lawmakers taking action. Attempts have once again stalled for a measure that would require AM broadcast radio in all new vehicles sold in the United States. Despite the bipartisan support for it in the US Congress, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act fell victim on the 17th of December to scrambling by lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Those members of Congress faced a deadline to pass a measure that would keep the government funded through March 14th and avoid a widespread shutdown.

CBS News reported that the lawmakers' stopgap spending measure reached mid-month would solve the greater issue but, in doing so, would cut several items, including the AM Radio mandate for vehicles. The National Association of Broadcasters was among those expressing disappointment since AM Radio is considered a valuable resource for transmitting public safety information during emergencies. The makers of some electric cars would like AM Radio eliminated, acknowledging that their vehicle's electronic systems interfere with AM reception. The bill is not dead, however. Many advocates plan to take the measure up in the next session of Congress in 2025.
Kent Peterson KC0DGY | (RADIOWORLD.COM, CBS)

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CALIFORNIA HAMS TO ESTABLISH GMRS REPEATER FOR COMMUNITY

The cooperation between amateur radio and other radio services continues to grow. In fact, one ham club in southern California recently committed to making that happen - in a big way. The Mile High Radio Club isn’t just in favor of growing amateur radio as a public service; it wants to see radio in general become a public service asset. The club recently agreed to provide its mountain community with a repeater for General Mobile Radio Service, or GMRS so anyone with a compatible radio can pass along information or ask for help.

The repeater is to be located in Idyllwild, in a region often facing wildfires and earthquakes. Expanded GMRS service would prove useful not only during events such as those but to assist hikers who encounter emergency situations on the popular wilderness trails. Like amateur radio operators, GMRS users must be licensed but there is no qualifying test and one license can be used by all members of a family.
Ralph Squillace KK6ITB | (AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY)

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CONCERN OVER STORMS' IMPACT ON SATELLITES

A scholar from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has expressed concern about the impact of geomagnetic storms on space-traffic coordination among satellites. Two geomagnetic storms this year had a serious impact on low-earth-orbit satellites after increased atmospheric density created drag affecting satellites' orbits. The first storm was a solar event last May that made the aurora more visible at lower latitudes in the northern hemisphere.

The second storm was in October, most of the satellites affected by these storms were part of the Starlink constellation. William Parker of MIT told a meeting of the American Geophysical Union on December 9th that the shift in orbits was not easy to accurately track, posing a greater likelihood of collisions. He called the phenomenon a "mass migration" of satellites. He called for better forecasting of space weather and the use of better models, saying such requirements were "critical" to being able to move forward with these kinds of operations in space.
Dave Parks WB8ODF | (SPACENEWS.COM)

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RADIO DARC SHORTWAVE PROGRAMMING TO DEBUT FROM ENGLAND

The new year is bringing changes for the Deutsche Amateur Radio Club's weekly shortwave broadcast. Listeners of the Deutsche Amateur Radio Club's weekly shortwave broadcast will be tuning their dials to 9670 kHz on Sunday the 5th of January as programming begins from a new location at a BBC property in Woofferton, England. The new year's move comes with the December shutdown of Austria's ORS Shortwave radio station in Moosbrunn, the former home of Radio Austria International. The new location is operated by a BBC subsidiary company, Encompass Media, and is home to 10 transmitters. The Austrian station had carried programming for the D. A. R. C. for about a decade.
Jeremy Boot G4NJH | (SWLING POST, RSGB)

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HAM RADIO CALLING CQ AT AUSTRALIAN SCOUT JAMBOREE

In Australia, Scouts are getting ready for 10 days of adventure and yes, ham radio too. A small city will be springing up seemingly overnight, in Queensland, Australia, as thousands of Scouts set out for the Maryborough Showgrounds and Equestrian Park. Scouts Queensland will be hosting visitors from around Australia for the first Jamboree in four years, giving Scouts an opportunity during those 10 days to participate in activities that are as entertaining as they are educational, everything from rock climbing and archery to cooking and attending concerts.

Naturally, amateur radio will be involved. Scouts will be calling CQ with the special callsign VI 2025 AJ from the 5th of January through to the 16th. There will be two HF stations operating SSB and FT8. E-QSL cards will be sent at the end of each day, directly from the Jamboree site. This is your chance to get in on some of the adventure. The Jamboree is the 26th such event for the Scouts. Those who do not attend this time around will have to wait until 2029.
This is John Williams VK4JJW.

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GROWING RESCUE GROUP IN NY GETS INFUSION OF NEW RADIOS

In northern NY State, a rescue group is experiencing a resurgence - and they've got a grant to help them update their emergency radios. Thirty is the magic number for members of Search and Rescue of the Adirondacks, an organization in the northern mountains of New York State. Known by the acronym, SARNAK, the group is marking its 30th year with a core group of 30 volunteers. It is also preparing for the arrival of 30 new radios - the result of a grant of more than $6,000 from the town of North Elba. This will enable SARNAK to continue its mission to support search and recovery missions by replacing its second-hand fire department radio with updated communication equipment.

The new radios will have longer-lasting batteries and a greater range than the 40-kilometer radius surrounding the local repeater. They will also have digital capability. Coordinator Jeff Berry, KE2DKA, told the Lake Placid News that SARNAK has been experiencing a resurgence since the challenges of the pandemic eased up and is now inspired to expand its community engagement. He said volunteers have already begun doing more local public-service activities, providing support to major races and other events, including the 90-mile Adirondack Canoe Classic.

SARNAK has had support too from local ham radio clubs, including the Adirondack Amateur Radio Association and the High Peaks Amateur Radio Group. Although SARNAK members such as Elena Lumby, KE2DJC and Joe Shoemaker, K2SHU, already have their ham licenses, the group plans to use the grant money to help fund training so that more search and rescue volunteers can become hams too. That will hopefully carry them and SARNAK's important work for at least another 30 years.
Andy Morrison K9AWM | (LAKE PLACID NEWS)

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LOGS ARE DUE FOR CONTEST HONORING SO-50 SATELLITE

Satellite enthusiasts have until the 10th of January to submit their logs for contacts made during the global competition that celebrated the 22nd anniversary of the launching of SO-50, also known as Saudisat 1C. The low-earth orbit satellite was the centerpiece of the event organized by the Saudi Amateur Radio Society between the 13th and 22nd of December. Hams were challenged to make as many contacts as possible in different Maidenhead grid squares. To submit your logs, or get technical help see the email addresses in the text version of this week's newscast at https://arnewsline.org.

SUBMIT LOGS TO: log@sars.sa FOR OTHER INFORMATION, write to: hzldg@sars.sa

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WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Billy, F4GJE, who will be in Africa through early January. He will be using the callsign C5RK from the Gambia on the 4th and 5th of January before moving onto Senegal. He will operate from Senegal on the 11th and 12th of January using the callsign 6W1RD. Billy will operate SSB and FT8/FT4 on 80-10 metres. All QSLs are via EA7FTR.

Aldir, PY1SAD, will be operating as 8R1TM from Georgetown, Guyana, from the 1st of January through to the 8th of February. He will be using CW, SSB and digital modes on all bands. He will also operate via satellite. See QRZ.com for QSL details. Listen for Earl, WA3DX, who is operating from Trinidad as 9Y4/WA3DX from the 29th of December to the 14th of January using FT8 and FT4. Find Earl on 40-10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

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KICKER: SPECIAL EVENT GIVES VOICE TO THE MEMORIES OF SILENT KEYS

As the year draws to a close, it's only natural to look back on the moments that made up 2024. We also think of those whose signals have long since gone silent. That was the purpose of the K4S Silent Key Special Event which began at the time of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US and ended just as December began. The hams in Georgia's Statesboro Amateur Radio Society remember them all - the radio operators who have come and gone from the air and from their lives but have left an enduring mark. Inspired by this season of gratitude and reflection, club member Gene Britt, KM4QQU, suggested that club members activate a special event station that wasn't just another activity but a big thank-you to the Silent Keys who shaped their lives.

Buddy Horne, AJ4BH, the club's repeater trustee and former secretary, told Newsline: "Just about every ham could relate to one or more Silent Keys who encouraged them."The week was filled with QSOs from CW and SSB contacts, but that wasn't .the end of it. Buddy told Newsline he made about a third of his contacts via Slow Scan TV and logged some international contacts on FT8 He said another club member, Anna Davis, KO4JKO, checked into a YL net on EchoLink that is based in India. She was able to hear remembrances - and make note of the callsigns - of influential Silent Keys of years past. Buddy said this special event isn't likely to be a one-time thing. Club members are already looking forward to bringing it back in 2025.
Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

 

FRIDAY EDITION: I guess the tree comes down today until next year, I am going to miss the girls....

ARRL Awards Recognize Excellence in Ham Radio

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® seeks nominations for awards.

It probably isn’t hard to think of someone you know in the hobby who goes above and beyond in service to amateur radio, their club, their fellow hams, or their community. Volunteers are the very core of the Amateur Radio Service, and that dedication is what carries the ARRL Field Organization. Excellence in on-air ope…

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More

ARRL Straight Key Night: January 1, 2025

THURSDAY EDITIION: It's over, gifts received and given, great family dinner- now New Year's, it has to be a better than the last 4....I was listening to some ham on 75 tralking about open banding their $3-8K SDR radio's and Mercury amplifiers up. Why other than being a member of MARS would you do this? To talk to nitwits on CB? Hell their are more idiots on ham radio to qrm with, tune in to 7200 or 14313....

Hibernation scientists studying squirrels could get humans to deep space

In my hands is a squirrel-sicle, or close to it. I’m standing in a walk-in fridge, bathed in red light, cradling a rigid, furry body nearly as cold as ice. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is hibernating and deep in torpor. It feels surprisingly dense and hard as the chill seeps from the tiny mammal through a latex glove and to my palm. 

In this state, I’m told the squirrels still breathe two or three times per minute, but despite squinting to catch the animal in my hand mid-inhalation, I cannot see its chest rise or fall. Rafael Dai Pra, a PhD candidate in his sixth year of studying hibernation, points out the occasional, involuntary micromovements of the squirrel’s leg–one of the only visible indicators it’s alive. “We think it’s some sort of spinal cord stimulus. You see the paw retracts,” Dai Pra says as he nudges it with a finger. The movement response is an oddity one of his colleagues, another graduate student Rebecca Greenberg, is studying. Dai Pra is investigating a separate marvel: How animals undergo sexual maturation in this deep state of metabolic and physiological depression.

Both graduate students are part of Elena Gracheva’s laboratory at Yale School of Medicine. The professor of cellular and molecular physiology and neuroscience leads a research group dedicated to unraveling the biological mechanisms that enable and regulate hibernation. It’s one of a handful of labs around the world keenly focused on hibernator physiology and what examining the extreme phenomenon can tell us about animals and enable for ourselves. 

Through this work following the seasonal cycle of squirrels, scientists have their sights set on possibilities that can sound like science-fiction: improved organ transplantation, pharmaceutical treatments for anorexia, safer open heart surgery, stroke recovery, and even inducing hibernation-like states in people. If science were to discover a method for safely and reversibly tamping down humans’ metabolic rate for extended periods, the applications would be multifold. Such an intervention might even help astronauts reach deep space. It’s a lot of potential piled atop small, squirrel shoulders and the biologists dedicated to understanding them better. 

Life on the brink

Picture a hibernating animal and you might imagine a slumbering bear, snores and Zzz’s emanating from its cozy den. But the reality is far beyond a snooze. It’s closer to death than sleep, Gracheva tells me during a conversation in her basement office. “It’s a state like suspended animation,” she says. 

Animals enter torpor through sleep, and in a way sleep echoes the metabolic reductions of hibernation. In sleep, human metabolism drops by around 15% and our body temperatures also fall a few degrees. But hibernation is far more extreme and plays a different role. Hibernation is a survival strategy evolved out of deprivation, present in animals as disparate as frogs and lemurs. When resources dwindle and the world becomes inhospitable, hibernators retreat from life and wait it out. Ground squirrels’ metabolic rate crashes by as much as 90-95%, says Gracheva. 

During the hibernation season, which lasts between six and eight months for thirteen-lined ground squirrels, the animals do not eat or drink anything. In the wild, they’d remain in small underground burrows for the duration. In the lab’s hibernaculum, they see it through in plastic bins dubbed hibernation boxes. While hibernating, the squirrels spend the bulk of their time in torpor interspersed with brief bouts of activity called “interbout arousals.” These IBA periods last hours to a couple of days, with each round of torpor spanning two to three weeks.

In torpor, their body temperature plummets to below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and their pulse and respiration rate to just a few beats each minute. Brain activity becomes startlingly low. Electroencephalogram (EEG) read-outs of the neural waves “just look flat,” says Kelly Drew, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who began her scientific career as a neuropharmacologist and has become one of the world’s leading experts on mammalian hibernators. “It’s even less activity than a coma state,” she adds, agreeing that hibernating is more like dying than sleeping. “They’re just on the verge. They’re turning down the pilot light to where it’s right on the edge,” Drew says. 

XMAS DAY EDITION: Best of health for the coming year from our family to yours....

Lighting on a Budget with Cordless Tool Batteries

It’s perhaps not fair, but even if you have the best idea for a compelling video, few things will make people switch off than poor lighting. Good light and plenty of it is the order of the day when it comes to video production, and luckily there are many affordable options out there. Affordable, that is, right up to the point where you need batteries for remote shoots, in which case you’d better be ready to open the purse strings.

When [Dane Kouttron] ran into the battery problem with his video lighting setup, he fought back with these cheap and clever cordless tool battery pack adapters. His lights were designed to use Sony NP-F mount batteries, which are pretty common in the photography trade but unforgivably expensive, at least for Sony-branded packs. Having access to 20 volt DeWalt battery packs, he combined an off-the-shelf battery adapter with a 3D printed mount that slips right onto the light. Luckily, the lights have a built-in DC-DC converter that accepts up to 40 volts, so connecting the battery through a protection diode was a pretty simple exercise. The battery pack just slots right in and keeps the lights running for portable shoots.

Of course, if you don’t already have DeWalt batteries on hand, it might just be cheaper to buy the Sony batteries and be done with it. Then again, there are battery adapters for pretty much every cordless tool brand out there, so you should be able to adapt the design. We’ve also seen cross-brand battery adapters which might prove useful, too.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

TUESDAY EDITION: The Gloucester 145.130 repeater is working quite well, I talked to Dave- N1EDU from NH last night. Merry Xmas to Dave and the merry staff at Salem, NH HRO.....I ordered some crimp rings for double shielded cable, the ones I have for RG213 aren't big enough, I wanted to crimp the double shielded jumper for the duplexer but had to resort to soldering it, same result but the crimping is a lot easier and no chance of melting the inner core with excessive heat...

Experimental Station to Commemorate Fessenden Transmission December 24

Brian Justin, Jr., WA1ZMS, of Forest, Virginia, will operate experimental station WI2XLQ on 486-kHz AM for the Reginald Fessenden commemorative transmission starting approximately at 22:00 UTC on December 24, 2024.

Transmissions will last for at least 24 hours. A repeat transmission will take place on December 31, also starting approximately 22:00 UTC and running for 24 hours. All transmissions will consist only of the two Christmas songs claimed to have been played by Fessenden himself on his violin, as well as a brief Bible verse. WI2XLQ’s voice ID and transmission description is via computer-generated voice.

The story of Fessenden’s alleged first voice transmissions, using an Alexanderson alternator on December 24 and December 31 in 1906, has never been proven to have taken place. “While doubt remains that such a transmission ever took place, Fessenden did perform some crude voice transmissions over a few miles distance in early December of that year near Washington, DC, as a demonstration for the US Navy,” said Justin. Fessenden is credited for his early pioneering work of human speech using RF rather than the typical spark-generated Morse code of the time.

Long-wire antennas and a simple modern software-defined radio (SDR) are recommended to copy WI2QXL. SWL reports can be sent to WA1ZMS@ARRL.NET and e-mail confirmation of reports will follow. Audio samples of the reception are also welcomed.

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More

Holiday SSTV Experiment from the International Space Station

ARISS will be conducting an SSTV experiment from the International Space Station (ISS) beginning December 25th and running through January 5th.

Officially titled Expedition 72 - ARISS Series 23 SSTV Experiment, interested listeners can receive SSTV images in PD120 mode from the ISS on 145.800 MHz. There will be 12 different images in the series coming from callsign RS0ISS. Received images can be uploaded to the ARISS SSTV gallery at https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/.

MONDAY EDITION: A productive Sunday at the repeater site, the noise culprit was found and the repeater is working pretty good. While we were injecting a signal through the duplexers we found touching the Y connection at the rear of the duplexers created a large burst of noise...moving it around we found it to be the cause of all our miseries. The braid was only connected by a few strands and no solder connections, it had been yanked probably moving the unit and pulled the connections away. I kind of knew it had to be the duplexers, I had swapped or replaced everything else! I blamed the National; Grid for a lot of it but they did replace a bad pole transformer....anyways we swapped the bad cable with a rg213 jumper that was too long for the time being. The duplexers have to run double shielded cable, we use RG214 and they have tobe the exact length from tip to tip as they were tuned with...so today I have to get out and make and install a the new jumper.

Taking my time with the double shielded cable..

How Ghost Radio Signals Could Hold the Key on Finding Missing Flight MH370:

Transmissions from amateur radio enthusiasts may hold the key to locating the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished a decade ago in one of the greatest aviation mysteries. The Malaysian government announced on Friday that it had agreed to resume the search for the remains of MH370, the Boeing 777 that disappeared in March 2014 while carrying 239 people. Efforts will focus on a new area of seabed covering around 5,800 square miles - slightly bigger than Northern Ireland - according to Anthony Loke, the Malaysian transport minister. The search will be led by underwater exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which conducted the last sweep in 2018. This time around, the investigation is expected to draw on a new area of research involving so-called WSPR - pronounced "whisper" - transmissions from amateur radio operators. An acronym for Weak Signal Propagation Reporter, WSPR was designed as a way of sending and receiving low-power transmissions to test the capabilities of antennas used by amateur radio enthusiasts - known as radio hams - and the extent of their reach.

Rudolph’s Sleigh on a North Pole PCB

Each Christmas, [Adam Anderson], [Daniel Quach], and [Johan Wheeler] (meanwhile going by ‘the Janky Jingle Crew’)—set themselves the challenge of outdoing their previous creations. Last year’s CH32 Fireplace brought an animated LED fire to life with CH32V003 microcontrollers.

This year, they’ve gone a step further with the North Pole Circuit, a holiday project that combines magnetic propulsion, festive decorations, and a bit of engineering flair. Inspired by a miniature speedway based on Friedrich Gauss’ findings, the North Pole Circuit includes sleighs and reindeer that glide along a custom PCB track, a glowing village with flickering lights, and a buzzer to play Christmas tunes.

The propulsion system works using the Lorentz force, where vertical magnets interact with PCB traces to produce motion. A two-phase design, similar to a stepper motor, ensures smooth operation, while guard rails maintain stability on curves. A separate CH32V003 handles lighting and synchronized jingles, creating a cohesive festive display. As we mentioned in the article on their last year’s creation, going from a one-off to a full batch will make one rethink the joy of repetitive production. Consider the recipients of these tiny christmas cards quite the lucky ones. We deem this little gift a keeper to put on display when Christmas rolls around again.

This annual tradition highlights the Crew’s knack for combining fun and engineering. Curious about the details or feeling inspired to create your own? Explore the full details and files on their GitHub.

 

WEEKEND EDITION: